


An Advent Calendar of Prompts

by Shen_Gong_Who



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fado is from Wind Waker no OoT or TP, Holiday cheer more like holiday fear, I will keep adding characters as this goes on, I'm torturing myself because I suck, Multiple Ships! My fav will be on Dec. 24, The author is a piece of shit btw
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-02
Updated: 2017-12-25
Packaged: 2019-02-09 10:54:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 34,452
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12886368
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shen_Gong_Who/pseuds/Shen_Gong_Who
Summary: Twenty-five days, twenty-five prompts. An array of friendships and relationships all pertaining to the holiday season. Here goes nothing. I have yet to play Breath of the Wild so I'm just gonna ignore that one for right now...Day o25: "Christmas Day"They did the bash, they did the Christmas Bash.





	1. Christmas Cookies

**Author's Note:**

> Everything has to be written within the next 25 days for me otherwise I fail my little challenge... I'm also aiming for a thousand words a chapter but we'll see how that goes.

Shutting off her alarm at 4:30 in the morning, Aryll quickly and quietly raced down the stairs to get into the shower. It was December 1st already! Similar to a post she retweeted last year, yesterday she was merely Tim Allen from Home Improvement but as of today, she's Tim Allen from the Santa Claus because today was the official start of the Christmas spirit! Ho ho ho!

(Any days in between Black Friday and December 1st didn't count. Stupid commercialism.)

And what better way to commence the official start of the holiday season then by baking a plethora of Christmas cookies. Lathering her hair with shampoo, she began to go over the final steps of the recipe in her head; she had already combined the ingredients the previous night and placed two quite large balls of dough in the fridge to cool overnight. The recipe called for at least a half hour but she wanted time to decorate each cookie before racing out the door to Mila's awaiting Beemer. If she wasn't outside after the third text, she had to find another means of transportation - which usually meant begging her brother to come pick her up.

Rinsing out the shampoo and placing the conditioner in, Aryll began mentally searching for everything she'd need. The previous night she lead the rolling pin out on the counter, the cookie cutters were in the middle drawer the last time she saw them, her trays lay in the small compartment underneath the oven. As she reached for her body soap, she ended up dropping the bottle. She forgot what temperature the cookies baked at! 350°? No 400°? She left the recipe on top of the kitchen table in the midst of her destroying the kitchen in a hailstorm of flour, sugar, and baking soda. Hopefully it was still there - along with the mountain of dishes she would eventually have to clean.

Finishing up her shower in a record twelve minutes, she placed on a plain white t-shirt with a pair of leggings. A towel draped over her shoulder to catch any excess water. Time to bake these bad boys. Placing the bowls of dough out to warm up slightly, she began her search for the recipe. It couldn't have gotten that far. She prepped the cookies after her Grandma had retired for the night to her room meaning Aryll would have been the last one to see the print out. Where was that- why is it under the cooling rack? Moving on, she then dashed across the kitchen to rifle through the middle drawer. She pushed aside the cookie cutters in the shapes of boats, seagulls, and spyglasses - her usually favorite set her Grandma bought back when she was seven - in leiu of a more fitting theme of Christmas trees, sleigh bells, and snowmen. Glancing down at the print out, Aryll punched in 350 onto her oven's pre-set. As much as it pains her to say this, when she was eleven she placed in the Christmas cookies for her Grandma without having the oven on. She had no clue why after twenty minutes the cookies were still small discs of dough. Link wouldn't let it go for the whole day when he walked over and turned on the oven. Stupid older brothers.

But this time she would prevail and make the best damned Christmas cookies in all of Hyrule. She'd even make one shaped like a certain hand gesture just for her darling older brother.

(And a Santa hat one because he and his usually hat clad head did deserve a nice cookie as well as a rude one.)

With probably too much flour sprinkled onto her cutting board, Aryll started working out the first ball of dough which she had broken into four different pieces. Pushing the roller forward then backwards, side to side the first spherical lump of dough transitioned into a near flattened disc. Was that too flat? It looked 1/4 of an inch in thickness to her. Rolling the pin across the dough once more, Aryll moved onto flouring the cookie cutters. Armed with a barrage of twelve differently shaped cookie cutters, if the recipe was accurate she should be yielding ten dozen cookies... in hindsight maybe she shouldn't have doubled the recipe into two balls of dough and just gone with the one which yields five dozen but an overzealous girl high on holiday spirit is quite surprisingly ambitious. Spacing out her cookies onto two non- greased sheets, a mess of stockings, mittens, and sleighs stared up at her. Balling up the trimmings, she repeated using the rolling pin to flatten out the dough.

"Never waste dough." Grandma used to say whenever Aryll would watch her bake in awe. Now it was Aryll's turn and waste not. Her phone's timer had been set for six minutes when she would swap trays between the upper and lower oven racks while the timer on the oven was set for twelve minutes. As she waited for several woodwind instruments to perform a bittersweet melody, she sought to work her way through the rest of the dough. Maybe she should have woken up earlier... Any negative thoughts that tossed around in her mind had been banished away with a simple shrug. If she could prep Mila to ace their trigonometry final, she could do anything! Like a well-oiled machine every time the woodwinds would commence, Aryll made quick work of either rearranging the trays or removing the now baked cookie to replace them with the awaiting trays of doughballs. Maybe she should be a baker when she graduates rather than try for that internship at the observatory – even if they housed the greatest telescope in the world. Baking was her true calling.

Shoveling finished cookies onto the cooling rack, Aryll eyed the clock. Letting out a sigh of relief, she continued scooping out blobs of dough, she had time. She had four cookie sheets in at a time – length wise they miraculously fit. Rotating in and out a different pair of cookie sheets every six minutes. Aryll's Sweetshop… no, Outset's Crumbles. She could already picture herself now standing in front of an industrial sized oven, decked out in an apron and covered in flour as she iced a tray of cupcakes. THE ICING!

Racing to the fridge, Aryll tossed aside drink cartons and any bowls of leftovers in search of the four icing tubes she had purchased the previous day. Ah, there they are.

The recipe said the icing would need an hour to set so at 5:30 am, she found herself half covered in red, green, gold, and white icing. While she's may have decorated a majority of her arm (and she may need a second shower), her Christmas lights looked festive in green, her candy canes adorned in their staple red and white pattern, and her reindeer looked a bit too golden. Glancing at the freshly iced cookies, Aryll was tempted to steal one but opted to take a second brisk shower.

Exchanging her slightly floured t-shirt for a warm, oversized sweater Aryll then pulled her damp hair back into a French braid. Several Tupperware containers had been pulled out and lined the kitchen table. Gently, Aryll filled the containers with her creations, separating layers with waxed paper. Her phone trilled, signaling the first of three texts. Shit she hadn't brushed her teeth. Sending a quick response asking for five minutes, Aryll raced about finishing getting ready and grabbing everything needed; her backpack falling off her one shoulder, a bagel hanging from her mouth, a shopping bag filled with several Tubberware containers and her shoes tucked under her arm.

(She had left the largest container on the kitchen table.)

"Get in loser." Mila yelled out the window, Maggie nestled in the passenger's seat engrossed in whatever book she was reading.

Aryll blew a raspberry in her friend's direction as she attempted to lock the door without dropping anything. "You look like a bag lady."

No cookies for her then.

"Happy December 1st!" Aryll cheered, throwing herself onto the back seat. "If you're nice, I'll give you some of these lovely cookies I just baked." Both of her friends turned in their seats, eyebrows peaked in question. "I slaved over the oven this morning making these bad boys."

Passing a snowflake and a star to the pair, Aryll watched as their faces turned from surprised to disgust.

"Hon, please tell me you have something else in that bag beside cookies."

Opening the bag to display what was inside both of her friends shared a look before Maggie sighed in defeat, "You may want to keep them to yourself."

"Why?" She asked, strapping her seatbelt as fast as she could following her friend gunning the engine.

Glancing up to meet her eye on the rear view mirror, Mila responded, "Those are lethal. Please don't quit your day job to become a baker." Well that wasn't very nice.


	2. Santa

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dressed as an elf in "Santa's Workshop" was not how Beth wanted to spend her day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SANTA! OH MY GOD! SANTA'S COMING! I KNOW HIM! I KNOW HIM!

The line never seemed to end. Every time a family left, it felt as if two more took their place. Did kids still believe in Santa, what with the internet and kids like her best friend Talo and his younger brother Malo constantly uprooting the magic of Santa Claus? Talo ad gotten into a verbal altercation when he was seven with several fifth graders over whether or not Old Saint Nick existed. The outcome being the then seven-year-old Talo winning said argument by conceding that yes, Saint Nicholas had been real at one point but has been dead, "for what you lot would call a long, long time." She would admit he deserved the bloody nose he came home with.

Yet, here she stood, dressed in a green, velvet knee-length atrocity with a thick red hemline around the skirt and a matching red Peter Pan collar. Worst of all were the horrendous candy cane stockings she had to wear and the peppermint buttons sewn onto the front of her dress. She looked like a garish Hallmark ornament, let alone an elf. Assisting children of varying ages onto the lap of Santa Claus, she prayed to all three goddesses that none began crying while in her arms – or anything else occurring either.

Her family didn't even celebrate Christmas yet her she was handing out miniature candy canes to every child Santa placed on 'the Nice List' upon their exit. Unwrapping a candy cane for herself, she glared in the direction of a sign that said the hours of operation for Santa's Workshop. Two years prior to promote profits at their sundry, her mother came up with the so-called brilliant idea of giving into the commercialism of the holidays. Have your kids meet with Father Christmas himself while you shop! Her mother paid Talo (the only person she could find on such short notice two years ago) time and a half to sit there for a single day out of the year, fake Santa's jolly demeanor and laugh for the children.

(Her mom didn't pay her time and a half to deal with obnoxious children and wear this horrible outfit. A parent isn't supposed to favor a different person when they only have one kid!)

They were supposed to be having a Milk and Cookies break in ten minutes but the high schooler brought on to assist with sweeping the sundry during the holidays forgot to put up the sign admitting no more people onto line. The idiot had one job – well two jobs, sweep and place the sign up two times during the day; once for lunch and once for a brief break during the afternoon rush.

Begrudgingly, Beth carried a small toddler – arms flailing, legs kicking, tears streaming – over to 'Santa'. She watched as Talo's jade eyes narrowed in annoyance. Hey, it wasn't her fault – she'd not have even brought her child out rather than force him to partake in the horror of sitting on Santa's lap. The poor thing was terrified, was a photo they'd probably never see again that necessary?

She'd never understand parents.

Trying to get the small toddler to sit still and smile happened t be an impossible feat. She had a paper due for her Psych 101 course, she didn't have time for this. Bidding the family a goodbye – the boy mumbling something through his tears and hiccups – Beth scanned over the remaining crowded line. Her turquoise eyes froze on a tall blond with a mop of blond hair. What was he doing – right, he had a little sister. A small girl with blonde ringlets stood beside him donning a red tartan Christmas dress, black stockings, and a black, silk bow that sat atop her head. Did kids around ten years old still believe in Kris Kringle? Beth had stopped believing around eight. The rather short girl bounced on the balls of her feet, chatting animatedly with her brother who was dressed in a crisp white button up and black slacks. No, were they here for a Christmas card? There were several families in between the pair and her. Why did he have to be here today? She was a hodgepodge of Christmas colors. Why couldn't he come in tomorrow when her attire wasn't a discount costume store nightmare? Her internal fretting escalated with every step the pair took towards 'The North Pole'.

Was that her mother calling her? That sounded awfully like her being called off to the stock room to do something for the next hour or so. Talo gave her a sidelong look, half listening to whatever the little girl on his lap requested from her Christmas list. She was fine, she was cool even if she looked ridiculous. Maybe she could find that damned hat she misplaced to hide her face during their interaction.

"Beth?" No, sorry no Beth here, just some elf and Santa Claus. With a resigned sigh, she turned on her heel a pseudo-brave smile on her face. His cornflower blue eyes lightened as he smiled at her. No, stop. "How have you been?"

"I'm dressed like an elf." Her eyes widened upon realizing what the first thing to come out of her mouth was. The blond duo in front of her both let out quiet chuckles, the smaller of the pair hiding behind her brother's leg. When had they gotten that close to the front of the line? His little sister muttered something as the moved up – now second on line. Oh damn. "I love your dress." Beth said, forcing down the lump in her throat. Goddesses she was sounding like him back when they were kids. When had Colin become the collected one and she the timid one?

"I like yours too." The little girl a miniature version of their mother Uli smiled, showing off a missing canine. Sweet little thing to lie like that. The girl then grabbed at the black belt around her waist as she timidly mumbled something again. Colin gave her a small smile before gently tapping her back. Oh no it was her turn. Assisting the girl onto pseudo-Santa's lap, Beth cautiously placed herself in between where Colin stood and the Santa's Workshop set up sat. Take a photo, hand her a candy cane, say goodbye. Take a photo, hand her a candy cane, say goodbye. Beth repeated the manta over and over in her head; take a photo, hand her a candy cane, say goodbye.

"Do you mind if we take two. Mom wanted me to some in for one of the both of us as well." He asked, tapping her shoulder.

Nope, nope, nope, nope, "It's fine." Goddesses she sucked. "I didn't know she still believed in Santa."

Colin shrugged, "To be honest neither did I. I know she likes the idea of believing in him but she came home crying a couple years ago and demanded we tell her the truth." So she didn't believe in Santa? Colin's voice lost the confidence it previously possessed when he mumbled, "Mom was rather adamant we both go take photos with Santa even though we haven't since the mall fired that old Santa." She involuntarily shivered, she forgot about Drunk Santa. If neither of them believed, why were they here taking a photo – a photo they haven't taken in five years?

After taking the photo of just his sister, Colin quietly slunk over to stand on the left side of Santa. He awkwardly stood, hunched slightly to not stick out like a beanpole. With a small smile, Beth counted down from three before snapping the photo. That had been her favorite of the day.

Handing his sister a candy cane, Beth went to say goodbye to Colin when he asked if they could possibly, when she wasn't busy of course, go get coffee or something. Was Colin asking her out? Because if she was she was in.

"I finish in about an hour and a half. If you don't mind coming back in about two hours to let me de-elf I could go for some coffee after this wreck." Smiling once more, he told her he'd be back in two hours. Who cares if Talo teased her mercilessly for the rest of her shift, she finally got her high school crush to ask her out.

.  
.  
.

His sister raced through the backdoor, calling for their mother to boast about all of the compliments she had received for her dress. Their mother who stood in front of the stove, mixing a large pot smiled down at the pint-sized version of her. "I bet you were the loveliest girl on line."

His sister smiled happily as their mother knelt down to pull her into a hug, "There was another loveliest girl too! She was an elf!" A glint sparkled in his sister's eyes as she mocked whispered in their mother's ear, "Colin seemed to have known her."

He didn't like the matching glint in his mother's cerulean eyes - those glints never boded well for him. "Oh really now? Who happened to be this lovely girl?"

His cornflower blue eyes narrowed in annoyance, his mother knew who worked at the sundry, she was there every - Had she, no right? But the mischievous look said otherwise. Had his mom sent them there to take photos because she knew who had been on shift as an elf?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> nope, still trash


	3. Christmas Lights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ganondalf has never met an adversary he couldn't best, until his girlfriend talks him into rigging up the lights at her father's.

A leather boot touched down onto the driveway at the same moment the roar of the motorcycle stilled. Bins of lights sat on a surprisingly lush green front lawn and a large metal ladder laid on the ground not too far away. How had she talked him into this?

His girlfriend walked out of the front door wrapped up in a black fleece jacket with a pair of purple fleece socks peeking out from the top of her winter boots. Her blonde tresses pulled back into a high ponytail. Her smile radiant. The same smile that somehow coerced him into assisting her with crafting her aging father's home into a Xanadu of lights. Dismounting from this bike, he surveyed the roof. It was a decent size and a decent ways up. A fall wouldn't kill him but they'd be ending up spending a while in the emergency room.

When she had asked him, he forgot her childhood home (read: estate) had once been on the cover of some architectural magazine with it's ridges and slopes. Now looking at it he silently regretted agreeing.

"You're here! I was starting to think you bailed." She teased, pulling him into a quick kiss. Her arms snaked around his waist, "At least you listened to me and wore something sensible instead of your leather jacket though the traction in those shoes are questionable." He packed a pair of crummy sneakers in his bag.

"Whatever the princess wants, right?" he chided, her blue eyes automatically rolled in response. Releasing her arms from around his waist, he was almost tempted to pull her back into him. But the faster he got up on the ladder, the faster he could finish hanging up the lights and the faster they could go get crappy takeout they'd eat on the floor of his apartment.

"This so-called princess shall be supervising from the ground." Wise decision. Pulling the lid off one of the bins, his girlfriend began pulling out boxes of lights. "We'll unravel them all and check which ones work and which ones don't. I have replacement bulbs somewhere."

Making swift work, she had him hold on to the female outlet (because apparent that was the proper name for the outlet you plug something into) and walk it to the opposite side of the lawn, stretching out the 25 feet strands. When they finished, ten strands littered the front lawn. He watched as his girlfriend slid open the small door on the male outlet (again, apparently that was the proper term for the side you had two to three prongs on) and fiddle about with the fuses inside. One of the fuses ended up being tossed out. Trying once more, his girlfriend had all ten strands as a whole to work albeit several lights throughout the nine other strands had blown out. She asked for him to check the ones closest to him to see if the bulbs had been loose but said for him not to "force the bulbs". Something about blowing the fuses and the strands only coming with one replacement. She asked from him to grab her a few replacement bulbs from the bin, rattling off how many of what colored bulbs she needed. Quickly, she shot from one dead bulb to the next, exchanging them for a lovely, glowing one.

Within minutes he stood near the top of the ladder, his girlfriend below holding it steady as he attached shingle clips to the lights. Damn stupid smile on her damn stupid face manipulating him into getting onto his damn ladder and hanging these damn lights. With a groan, he pulled himself fully onto the roof. At least he completed one ridge.

"Zelda! What are you doing now?" he called down, noticing her rifling through a different bin.

With that damned smile, Zelda pulled out another set of smaller lights. No, no more lights. He assumed she noticed the look on his face, whatever it was – probably annoyance. Letting out a soft laugh, she shook her head, "No need to worry your pretty little head off, just handle those one. These," she said, holding up the lights higher, "are mesh lights. They go on the hedge which I can do by myself. I needn't call any of my castle servants." Wise ass.

The repetition of snapping a light's base into a plastic clip, which was then slid under a shingle took longer than he would care to admit. No wonder his family never took part in this tradition, it was tedious. About every other clip either broke in half or decided to give up and fall to the ground. There had to be a more efficient means of hanging up these stupid lights than cheap plastic clips that 'secured' the lights. He used the term secured loosely if the now loose strand near the first ridge he worked on was any indication.

About the halfway mark, Zelda had turned on some radio station playing Christmas music. It took threatening to break up with her three times for the blonde to change the station.

Her father Daphnes' luxury sedan pulled into the driveway as he worked on what he thought were the finishing touches of the Christmas lights – he had to redo the strand that wrapped around the roof of the garage for the extension cords would not be able to reach the male outlet where they currently lie. "What are you two up to?" her father asked, observing what transpired on his property. His daughter currently kneeling near his walkway leading up to the front door, shoving a stake into the ground and her behemoth of a boyfriend clattering about his roof grumbling about the damn lights being wrong. Probably an odd sight to behold. Surprise, I'm gonna rip all of the lights off and probably your gutters with them, he wished to say when the man of the house asked how they were doing.

"Where did you place the extension cords?" Zelda asked, rubbing her hands together. The temperature as well as the sun had dipped since they had begun. Her father shrugged walking to his car's trunk. Did her father not know where the extension cords were? After he had to put up all these damn lights.

Chuckling to herself, Zelda disappeared into the garage for a few minutes. When she returned she carried a medium sized box. "Alright, the orange one goes…" she started, explaining which extension cord did what as she pulled them from the box they were housed in. Had the pair mapped out every aspect of hanging these damned lights? Did people normally map out everything or did they wing hanging up Christmas lights each year and hoped it turned out well? From his spot he watched as a blonde blu raced about plugging in the lights that draped over the side of the house. Guess it was okay to come down now.

The moment his foot touched the ground, Zelda's arms wrapped around his waist once more, her face buried in his back. "Thank you Ganondorf. I wanted to have them up to surprise him and also to make sure he didn't go on the ladder himself. Thank you." That was not a smile on his face, it was a smirk thank you very much, he didn't smile. He'd do it all over again, it was nothing.

From the corner of his eye, he saw the top of Daphnes' white hair peaking out from behind one of the bushes, the older male bent over fiddling around with the outlets. "Are you two ready?" he called out. Ready to revel in the hard work of dangling his first Christmas lights. "Are they on?"

He could feel his face fall – were the unlit Christmas lights on? He did all that work and the lights would not turn on? But he and Zelda had checked each light, they should freaking work. Why the hell aren't they blinking?! He could hear a low chuckle from Daphnes as he meandered his way from the bushes. Shit did he say that out loud?

His girlfriend disappeared from his side, this time he did reach out for her but she slipped away into the garage once more. "How about now?" her voice called from somewhere in the garage. The moment the words left her lips, the house lit up bathing the dimming skyline in vibrant balls of blues, greens, reds, and oranges. As she stepped out of the garage, her lips pulled into the damned smile once more.

The damned smile glowed brighter than the bulbs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anything you liked? Anything you didn't like?


	4. Christmas Movies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Upset with her love life, Ruto ends up re-watching Love Actually.

Raising the volume on the television, she tugged her blanket closer to her body. Day Seventy-Four and her supposed ten day plan still yielded the same unsatisfactory results. She was still tragically single and still tragically pining over the cute blond who lived a floor down. The cute blond who no matter what she did never seemed fazed by her attempts at seduction. Not even the batting of an eye. He'd simply smile and nod when appropriate before biding her a good day. Her ten-day plan to get her cute neighbor's affection, which she had revamped several times prior, may be in need of another tune up. She needed a new plan of attack.

She did everything short of hanging a sparkling banner from her balcony asking him to love her. The movies made it look so easy, you know the whole falling in love thing. Each film had the same model: the heartbreak temporary but the happiness you'd receive from some public display of affection, well that happiness is eternal.

Stupid Link and his stupid beautiful eyes as deep as the sea making her feel this, this whatever it was. Shrinking further into her couch, she tried to still her mind while Emma Thompson's heart filled breakdown played out on the screen. Ruto could feel her own heart clench in time with Joni Mitchell's voice.

Her phone pinged three consecutive times but she didn't even bother to glance towards the device. It was probably just Lulu. Whatever, she had a key of her own.

Earlier that day, Ruto had run into Link at the grocery store after getting off work and instead of leaving the store with her groceries for the week and a boyfriend, she left with only half the groceries she planned on purchasing and unattached.

"Already watching Love Actually I see." Maybe she shouldn't have given her friend a key to her apartment. Now she had to deal with her friend's attempt at optimism on this bleak evening. She'd say something about not giving up, about getting up and putting on a brave face (and an ultra cute outfit) as she approached the dreaded Day Seventy-Five. "I kind of figured you'd be watching either this or How the Grinch Stole Christmas." Her friend dropped down onto the middle of the couch sliding herself under a small section of the blanket. If she was going to steal her blanket then Lulu was going to become a useful footrest. "Ruto, maybe we watch something else - something less romantic?" Less romantic? Did her friend not what to try juxtaposing her optimistic outlook on her non existent love life with the anguish of Emma Thompson's performance. Lulu stood from their spot and heading to the row of DVDs beneath the TV stand, her fingers dancing across the titles.

"I'm still partial to the Grinch if you want in." She wiggled the DVD case in front her silently asking for Ruto to accept the change of genre. Maybe Ruto herself was the Grinch. This time of the year was to be joyous yet here she sat on her couch, wrapped in a fleece blanket, watching an ensemble cast of characters act out their interwoven stories hoping to feel even an inkling of their happiness.

She felt like the old Ruto, high school Ruto. The Ruto who crushed hard on Mikau from the moment she first saw Lulu's band practicing. She never wanted to be that Ruto again, yet here she was hopelessly in love with someone who barely even noticed her. He probably didn't even consider them acquaintances - she hated the word but to him she was probably just the girl who lived a floor above him, nothing more. Men suck, there she said it.

But right now she sucked more. Who cares if she wasn't happy at this current moment and had spent the previous seventy-four days hoping beyond hope for Link to like her - not even love her, just like her. The one person who would care was herself and currently she wasn't caring for herself all to much. Sulking like a baby because she hadn't gotten her way. She had come a long way from her daddy's little spoiled daughter.

Lifting up the remote she clicked the eject button.

"Let's watch How the Grinch Stole Christmas. I'm in the mood for a relatable character."

Post lines being quoted and laughs being shared, Ruto curled into her friend, "I'm an idiot."

"No you're not. You just fall very hard, very fast. Those kind of emotions can be painful - very useful when you're a musician but to you normal folk feelings they suck."

Letting out a chuckle, Ruto grabbed a handful of recently popped popcorn. Yes, she got up after the movie to pop popcorn - she didn't want to miss a moment of the movie.

While she was in the kitchen, Lulu had pulled out several more films - Elf, A Miracle of 34th Street, Scrooged to name a few. She did put The Holiday back on the shelf. Romantic films may not be the best idea at this exact moment. Nor was Lulu desire to tell Ruto that a certain long-haired bassist wanted more than just a friendship with the Indigo-Go's biggest supporter. That he has for over seventy-four days.

"Can we watch Die Hard next? It's technically a holiday film."

"No it's not." Lulu went to argue but Ruto lifted up her hand to silence her

"Yes it is, their all attending a Christmas party when everything goes down."

Lulu opened her mouth to say something but stopped, "Oh my Godesses, Die Hard is a Christmas film."

Who cares if Juliet and Peter or David and Natalie found their happiness in each other, dammit even John and Judy found happiness in one another being stand ins for adult film actors. She'd find her happiness one day - maybe she'd be like Billy Mack and found happiness during their season, not by falling in love but through spending her time with those she cared for the most. Maybe her heart would grow three sizes some day and swell with happiness because of those she surrounded herself with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys honestly, what are your thoughts? I'm trying to get better at this writing thing.


	5. Hot Chocolate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Manning their stand at a farmer’s market on a particularly cold day, Malon encounters a rather enjoyable fellow owner (well owner’s sister.)

Watching the red-haired woman flitted around stand across from hers felt more tiring than the work that went into the items she had spread out at her own stand. The woman - teenager? - hurriedly shoved purchases into small paper bags while ensuring her little sister, who looked to be a smaller version of her, didn't wander off. The woman had reached out and pulled the girl back by her collar at least ten times in the last couple minutes. A persistent little thing. Whatever it was the little girl found she was adamant on getting her hands it.

Smiling as a regular customer approached her own booth, Malon automatically reached for a nearby loaf of banana nut bread. The man made a joke about him being predictable and she may have laughed because of it - but she would say it was because of the little girl trying again in vain to amble off. A customer at their booth must have said something I'll-fitting to them for the little girl turned on her heel and held a fist up. While the words couldn't be made out, the message had been crystal clear. Her littlest neighbor had quite the personality.

Prior to the duo, their booth in the farmer's market had belonged to an older gentleman. Though he hadn't been appearing the last few weeks, something about enjoying the retired life. Malon would probably be just like him, working the farmer's market for a majority of her life. Her "narcoleptic" father could never handle manning this stand and Ingo's attitude would scare off any customers leaving Malon to hold off on her work on Tuesdays and Fridays until the market closed for the day.

Absentmindedly, Malon began to wipe down the countertop of her booth. That's when she noticed the little girl's attire. As opposed to the previous week's decent weather, today had been rather cold. That poor thing's coat looked too thin and the mitten on her right hand looked to have a hole on her thumb. A quick glance to the older female, Malon noticed she too wore a similar inadequate attire. Her coat looked more like a shawl you'd wear in the summer, maybe the earliest days of autumn complemented with a too worn pair of fingerless gloves. Following the smaller of the pair's line of sight she noticed a newer booth not too far down, scarves and gloves lining the table. The poor thing was cold. Malon had to have extra clothes in her truck. She had a small pile of coats and gloves she continuously pulled out believing they would be needed only to be forgotten on the backseat. Before she had the chance to run back and check, the smaller redhead made a break for it - this time her larger counterpart too preoccupied to be able to stop her little legs. The determine girl stopped in front of the stand and proudly pointed at a pair of gloves. Her valiant smile quickly fell replaced with a dejected look, her mouth agape. She pulled out a small rupee from her pocket and held it out to the woman. The woman shook her head. Malon read her lips - something about being not enough. Couldn't she see the poor child, both figurative and literally, before her?! It was frigid out! Surely, she could lower her price for the previously spirited shopper.

Slowly, she slid the reaper back into her pocket, her eyes trained on the ground that's when her sister(?) approached. The elder of the pair gave the couple a small, apologetic smile spinning the younger to face their booth.

A customer approached Malon's booth blocking her view of the other two redheads. She put on a smile, happily chatting idly over their exchanged. She handed him a hot cup of coffee pouring a little bit of her wonderful Lon Lon milk - and it is wonderful! Best milk on the market! When the to go cup left her hand an idea sparked. Making fast work with one of her machines, Malon poured a stream of hot chocolate made with her special Lon Lon Milk into two separate to go cups. Regular hot chocolate or to add some cinnamon into it?

Malon opted to keep the hot chocolate plain, she didn't know what the little girl would like. Said little girl had been subjected to sit on top of one of their crates. Her arms crossed at her chest in annoyance. The little girl looked up at her, their eyes locking. Placing a small pastry into a bag for a patron, Malon began making her trek to the stand across the way.

"Hello, sorry to bother you but I made a fresh thing of hot chocolate if you guys wanted some." The older of the two looked up eyes wide before she turned her attention to the younger one. The yonger one proudly stood on the crate declaring she would like the hot chocolate.

Letting out a low sigh, the elder began rummaging through her pocket pulling out a rupee.

"Oh no, from one stand owner to the next. Think of it as a welcome to the farmer's market present."

The little one raced over happily accepting the hot chocolate. "What do you say?" the older one muttered.

"Thank you, thank you." She hurried said, chugging as much as she could before yelping out slightly.

"Romani it's called hot chocolate for a reason."

The little one, Romani, made a face before sticking out her tongue. "Cremia thinks she's so smart because she's the ranch manager." Ranch manager? At such a young age? Then again, Ingo may be the official owner of the ranch but her father always joked Malon was the true head of Lon Lon Ranch. Romani took a smaller sip from her drink and smiled, "I really like this hot chocolate."

"It's the milk."

Romani's eyes widened, "Do you want our milk? It's the best ever."

Sending her a wink, Malon nodded, "I'll take you up on that."


	6. Ice Skating

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darunia and his son Link attempt ice skating for the first time.

A large male hunched over on a bench, attempting in vain to lace up the small white skates he somehow ended up wearing. His son had wished to ice skate for the first time and had not wished to do this alone - needless to say he had been roped into the shenanigans. For the first time, they had traveled from Death Mountain to arrive at a small village that fully embraced the winter weather. During the trip, his son yelled excitedly at the sight of snow for the first time in his life. To be honest, Darunia himself had been thoroughly joyous seeing the white flurries coming down having never experienced stereotypical winter before. Winter back home reached approximately a lowest of sixty-five degrees Fahrenheit, not nearly close enough to freezing temperatures.

They had made snowballs once by scrapping off freezer burn and packing it tightly into a quite small ball only for it to melt in less than a minute.

But here they were, lacing up actual pairs of ice skates inside an actual ice skating rink. Rinks they usually only saw in movies.

Bundled up in thick winter coats and hats, the two slowly stumbled through the waiting area gripping onto the walls as they went.

"Dad, you ready?" He was both eager and nervous simultaneously, he could see the same mixture of emotions playing out on his son's face. Here's to their first attempt at ice skating.

Patrons raced passed, challenging friends to a speed lap or what looked like a competitor to see who could create the most amount of sprayed ice shavings. Some patrons executing an array of spins and leaps. One girl even performing a miniature routine in the small, squared off area in the middle of the rink. Then there were a few in the same boat as Darunia and his son - a few patrons who faltering about either independently or with the assistance of another skating backwards. His son bravely made his entrance onto the rink taking one step at a time. He watched his son slowly try to ease his way from said entrance only to nearly fall, finding stability gripping the wall. On shaky legs, his son attempted to stand once more. Guess it was his turn to enter now.

Slowly, one foot was lifted from the rubber like ground finding purchasing on the icy surface. Gripping onto one of the boards surrounding the rink, to the point his knuckles had turned white, Darunia lifted his second foot to meet the other. Taking in a deep breath and without lifting the skate, he shifted one foot forward then the second. The first foot, then the second. First foot - he lost his balance, his knee hitting the floor. Using one of the boards, Darunia pushed himself up from the cold surface. Okay he fell once; Darunia: 0, Link: 1.

He and his son had a wager, one who fell the most would treat the other to the snack shack.

Gripping onto one another, they attempt to shuffle forward only for the pair to topple to the ground. Darunia: 1, Link: 2.

Darunia winced from his position on the ground; he hit the ground rather hard on that last fall, he wasn't expecting that. Nor did any of the patrons expect to see a mountain of a man and his miniature hill of a child son poorly gliding about.

Link attempted to right himself but instead ended up sprawled out on his back once more.

Letting out a hearty laugh, Darunia said, "They need a sign outside that prepares you for the wind being knocked out of you." Link nodded in agreement. They knew they wouldn't be the best patron, the patron everyone stopped to stare at in awe but they also didn't expect not even two minutes in to have already been knocked down - twice in Darunia's case.

"We need to do at least one lap." Link urged hopefully. Could they make a lap? Moving one hand over the next, Darunia languidly moved a few feet. He then needs to stop to regain his balance, Link near mirroring his actions. "We're three steps closer to a lap." His son cheered happily. Three steps closer...

They continued to gently work their way about the rink, stopping whenever needed. Finishing the second turn about the rink, the pair had reached the homestretch when Link upped the ante for their wager. The first person to make it to the line near the entrance without touching the walls once and regardless of how many falls would buy dinner.

Darunia eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Why would his son raise the bet? Link was currently winning by three falls. The last one may have broken the ice if he were being honest. He slid away as fast as he could when he heard the cracking sound.

(Also, because the little girl who had been skating mere feet from him when he fell shot up into the air.)

Somehow he ended up accepting the revamped bet. The two at basically crawling speeds attempted to glide across the ice, pushing one foot in front of the other. Determined to beat his father, Link pushed ahead just slightly.

Left, right, left right.

Link went down. Before he had a chance to reach his hand out to assist his son, Darunia tumbled to the ground himself. Give them an hour, they'd probably reach the line by then. Pushing themselves up a final time, the pair continued their trek. Link teasingly placing his hands near his father, threatening to push him over. His son needn't make the threat, just give Darunia another few steps he'd naturally be face first on the icy surface once again. He may as well just crawl across the ice at this point. Link sent him a heartwarming smile before determinedly pumping his arms and his legs moving just as fast. Sneaky little thing. Crossing the line abutting the entrance, Link turned swiftly, his arms jutting into the arm in victory before his legs gave out from under him.

"Turned too fast?"

"Turned in general." Darius nodded in understanding, gliding to the boards once more easing his way to the end of their oval track. Upon completing his sole lap, Darunia made his way off of the rink, taking small steps from the ice to the rubber like wall. "Wanna go again?" Link joked, making his way from the rink.

"Come on, I owe you dinner."


	7. Scarf

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To celebrate their first Christmas together, Anju I decides to make something homemade.

This would be their first Christmas together as man and wife. Her mother still may think she made the wrong choice and that his heart was elsewhere but in the end he - nay they both - showed up to the ceremony. Here they were a few months later getting ready for the holidays and the new year to come. She had already had half the gifts on her list for him, she had been desperately searching high and low for the other few, well the other few minus one. Last on her list had been the words 'something homemade' to add a little bit of heart into the presents she gave him. Both as an apology for an emotional near wedding jitters a few months and a sign for the future to come. A sign saying her heart was all in. But what do you make someone that says you're heart is in this and that you deeply care for your partner?

With a groan, she focused her attention on scrubbing the bathroom floor of their modest Bed and Breakfast which she inherited after her mother 'graciously' retired a week after she wed Kafei. It was her mother's way of testing the strength of their union and by damn Anju would prevail. Placing a sign on the bathroom door that asked for patrons to take caution with the slippery floor, Anju continued to with her daily routine: she mopped the floors for the kitchen, dining room, and the den; she scrubbed tirelessly at the faux marble countertops, placed the seat cushion covers from their dining room chairs in the washing machine with any dirty linens the patrons left out for her, smacked out the welcome rug. Later around midday she would start part teo of her daily routine; make up the beds; clean the en suite bathrooms as opposed to the bathroom free for all patrons to use; vacuum the en suite carpets, etc.

And then she would be adding to her daily routine crafting whatever it was she deemed loving enough to present Kafei with.

(She forgot she had to shop for the ingredients needed to make tonight's dinner.)

Upon finishing her first duties as mistress of the house, Anju grabbed her long coat and a knit cap. Kafei had asked her the previous night if he could be the one making dinner. He said he found some old recipe in some old cookbook and wished to try recreating it. It was her turn to cook this evening but her husband was adamant. And who was she to deny her husband at trying new things? The grocery store thankfully was a short walk - if Anju stayed outside any longer she believed she would fly into the air due to the bellowing winds. She had already knocked her off a curb.

As she briskly walked those few blocks huddled into herself for warmth, she took notice of several persons walking about, a large scarf tucked warmly to their bodies.  
A scarf! That's what she'd make him! Her shorter husband would traverse the elements in his jacket and gloves only. A scarf tucked around his neck would keep him warm during the winter months and maybe, just maybe he would think of her whenever he opted to wear the scarf.

After stocking up on whatever ingredients Kafei asked her to get, Anju walked as fast as the opposing wind would allow her to a nearby craft store. Yarn of a light-ish purple color seemed the most fitting for a scarf to be worn by Kafei, at least in her mind. Hopefully he thought so to. Picking up a new package of crochet needles, Anju made her way to the check out line. She had a basic understanding of crocheting, her mother had shown her when she was younger but the woman bad never found a reason to keep up with the hobby. Maybe she should get some semblance of instructions. Or she could save a few dollars, put on a brave face, and approach her mother.

In the end, she called her mother amidst her walk about to their Bed and Breakfast. Originally declining, her mother eventually conceded to agreeing to help her daughter poorly attempt at making a scarf. Whenever Anju could spare a few minutes amidst her duties she could be found in their store room listening intently as her mother spoke and watching even more intensely as her hands worked.

Grasping the yarn between her thumb and index finger of her left hand, she began each stitch working them carefully and as precise as possible. Her mother had to interject to assist her, reworking certains rows - aside from a few stitches here and there, Anju spent a majority of her day spending every free moment finding somewhere to sit and work her way down the scarf. She stared in awe as the scarf, oddly the scarf resembled the actual product just slightly askew in one part. Hopefully he'd wear it, the scarf looked decent and when wrapped around Kafei's neck her small hiccup wouldn't be noticeable.

Hiding the scarf in her bag, she proceeded to the kitchen where Kafei stood by the counter placing the finishing touches on their dinner. Glancing up, he gave her a soft smile. "Hope you like it, found this is one book thought it would be fun to make." He grabbed the large pan and brought it over to their dinner table. He made what looked like pulled pork and smelled like heaven. She placed what she desired onto her plate and quietly thanked him for the work he put into the meal. Kafei raised a fork filled a food to his mouth but stopped. He placed his fork back down and said, "I want to be the one to make dinner from now on." His fingers drummed nervously on the tabletop, "I want to take more responsibility; you do a lot of work around here and we're married, I want to help you out. This is our Bed and Breakfast not just yours. Making dinner is just one less thing you have to worry about."

Anju smiled and nodded, excusing herself for a moment from the table. When she returned she had the scarf in her hands. "I made this." She said shyly, holding the purple material out to him. "It was going to be your present but... here." He smiled softly and accepted the present, wrapping it around his neck.

"Thank you Anju."


	8. Shopping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shopping sucked, there Ashei said it.

What do you get someone that says 'hey I like you and if you do too that's great but if not it's just a single like not that double like?' Groaning, Ashei all but stomped down the mall's pathway weaving around crowds and groups of shoppers. Some swiftly dodging out of her way. Good, she detected being at the mall normally let alone at the same time as the atrocious holiday crowds.

She could be generic and get him something science related - there had to be a store somewhere in this damned town that sold science equipment (besides the chemistry set in the toy store). Would he like an adult chemistry set, a subtle nod at the chemistry between them? No he probably wouldn't read into her gift like that. Speaking of reading, she could purge the book store of every hardcover she could find. But everyone would probably get him a book - quite original to get the studious, bookworm a book. Glancing down at her keys she anxiously juggled in her hand she noticed the sword keychain he had gotten her earlier in the year as a small, addition to her birthday present... he did have his trusty dagger...

That's it! She'd get him a new one! With their expedition into the Snowy Peaks coming up what would be a better gift. It was could be seen as a survival tool as opposed to his trusty (but painfully old) dagger tucked between the pages of his journals. What if they were separated amidst the journey - the caverns by some mere twisted turn of fate collapsing, separating the pair into two different probably unstable locations. She wouldn't be there as the brawn of their duo (trio is Auru decided to third wheel- tag along) to protect him. His nose was usually too buried in a book or marveling in the wonders of wherever they explored to pay any heed to the atmosphere around him. While in a cavern underneath Kakariko a few months back, he had been too engrossed with the cravings on the wall to notice the gapping hole ready to swallow him. If she hadn't yanked him back by her collar, she'd be exploring either on her own or with Old Man Auru. At least Auru would observe the away.

But she'd miss way his stupid face would fluster and how his words turned into a stuttered garble of sounds after she saved his life too much.

Yup, dagger it was. He would see it as an essential tool while she saw it as a means to still her traitorous heart when he wasn't near.

(Maybe he could use the old rust bucket dagger to cut her heart out and make her stop worrying about him well before their expedition began.)

There had to be a sporting goods store somewhere in the mall to add diversity to the plethora of clothing shops with their merchandise at inflated prices for the season. Passing each storefront decorated in bright colored signs and sharply dressed mannequins, Ashei eventually found herself on the opposite side of the mall in front of the only sporting goods store. Marching her way up the escalator - because why wait behind the mother with her small child - she traversed the store to find where they housed hunting equipment. A bored attendant stood behind the counter of the hunting equipment section, a pencil balanced on his upper lip. Raising an eyebrow in question she approached the counter, a bit too quietly for the attendant. He jumped in surprise, his pencil clattering onto the glass countertop. The hunting goods salesman would not make a good hunter. Interesting.

He asked if she needed help, his face resembling a tomato embarrassed from being pulled out of his reverie. Shaking her head she perused the assortment of tools locked up from the public's reach. Some possessed more ornate handles than others, some made with a longer blade, and some far out of her price range. Then she noticed a simple silver dagger; there was nothing that stood out drastically from this one as opposed to the others. It had a simple silver handle, no distinct pattern, no carving at the hilt; unlike the one directly to the right of it, a lion had been crafted into the hilt. The blade looked to be of average length and slightly thinner than most. It looked light, easy to sheath and easy to attach to one's belt - or in his case, looked easy to hide inside the pages of a book. To most it would just be overlooked but to her it was perfect; nothing flashy, nothing over the top, just a good old fashioned form of defense.

She quietly asked if she could test the weight of it, her eyes never straying from the fine piece of weaponry. He had her fill out a few pieces of paperwork prior to allowing her to wield the metal dagger but the most she gripped the handle she knew she had to buy this.

If she couldn't be there to protect the idiot archeologist she somewhere amidst the pages of his journal fell in love with, then dammit this would be the next best thing. She didn't wince when the salesman said a price a bit steeper than she intended, no she did not excuse you. If it meant his safety then she'd gladly spend every rupee she had to her name.

Gripping the handle of the plastic bag tightly, she walked on a cloud towards the escalators - she would need to travel the length of the mall once more to reach the department store for wrapping paper.

As she was about to exit the store she saw the telltale copper hair of the same male who had been plaguing her thoughts incessantly. His nose for once not buried in a book or in some text he tried to translate. His thin, round rim glasses sliding down the bridge of his nose. His eyes widened at the sight of her, his smile beaming. "I hadn't expected to run into anyone. Are you getting supplies for our journey as well."

Swallowing a lump in her throat, Ashei nodded wordlessly not trusting she'd keep his present a secret if he continued to look at her with those wonder ours eyes of his. Oh darn it all.

"Me too, I seem to have misplaced my canteen and figured if I'm here may as well get a new tent, mine's a bit old." She muttered out something incoherent and he raised an eyebrow in question. Uh, um. He gave her a smile and shook his head, "Care to join me or are you off?"

Well guess she's walking back into the store.


	9. Candy Canes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She was not hiding out in her office Karane rationalized. Hiding was for the weak. But a mysterious trail of candy canes has her leave her (none hiding!) spot.

Karane was not hiding, she was a lot of things but hiding was not one of them. So what if she hadn't left her desk in the past two hours regardless of her ever growing need to head down to the cafeteria and grab a sandwich. If she wished to finish these reports prior to quitting time not even a working lunch fit into her schedule. Her phone pinged, signaling a text message but she ignored it as she had every text she had gotten within the past two hours because she was not hiding. Her phone then began to vibrate as a soft melody played. No, no, no - oh it's Zelda.

"Hello."

"Any reason you've been ignoring my texts and holed up in your office." Her denies of being cooped up must have come to swiftly to be believed. Zelda let out a light, bell like laugh. "Whatever you say. I'll grab you something and bring it up okay. If you need the bathroom, which I am assuming you do, I'd go now. If it's what I think it is - more like who I think it is - that's making you not hide out in your office you needn't fret. He's currently down here watching Groose and Link challenge themselves to some stupid feat of strength. Men." Her friend said with mock annoyance. "Actually, nearly everyone on our floor is down here for lunch." Involuntarily, Karane let out a sigh of relief causing Zelda to laugh once more. She was not hiding dammit! She was a very busy senior employee who had very important senior employee things to do!

How fast could she get to the bathroom and back?

Inching her office door open, Karane stealthily searched up the halls surveying for any indications of another person being on the floor. Once deciding the coast was clear, Karane dashed to the opposite end of the hall and punched in the bathroom code. Two minutes at most - it would take two minutes for the thing that was not making her hide out in her office to leave the canteen and return to their floor.

Upon leaving the bathroom, she once again surveyed the hall to ensure no one was around. As quietly she could, she slipped back into her office - a soft click could be heard as the door shut. From the comfort of her cushioned rolling chair, she let out another sigh of relief. Originally, she felt horrid when she holed herself up in her office earlier but Cawlin's pursuit of her recently became incessant. He left her a poem in her office mailbox earlier in the week - it may have been a thoughtful gesture but flowery imagery it was not.

It did rhyme though, she'd give him that...

Reaching for where she left her pen, Karane instead found a candy cane in its place. Her eyes widened in shock (not fear excuse you). Who had been in her office? Zelda couldn't have gotten to her office already from the canteen which meant that Cawlin was still downstairs. Plus Zelda said she was bringing up a sandwich not a single candy cane. Who placed the candy cane on top of her papers? Glancing towards the door, she noticed a second candy cane hanging from the handle. Miraculously, the sweet had not fallen to the ground when she opened the door.

Odd.

Standing from her seat, Karane slowly stalked towards the door. That hadn't been there when she left. Listening for any sounds of movement in the hall, Karane once more opened the door just slightly. No one looked to be in the corridor outside her office. Pulling the door open even more slightly, she could make out a third candy cane hanging from the light fixture diagonal from her office.

Double odd.

Who had been leaving candy canes just laying/hanging about and why had they been leaving candy canes just laying/hanging about? There had to be a better use for candy canes then to decorate odd pieces of furniture. Such as their intended purpose – being a sugary sweet she thoroughly loved to eat no matter the season.

Approaching the candy cane, she gingerly removed the sweet from its precarious position only to noticed another candy cane on the light fixture diagonal from where she stood. Then a fifth diagonal from that. Had someone been leaving a trial of candy canes? She slowly ambled down the hall, removing the two candy canes as she went. The further she walked, the closer she came to her fellow senior staff member Pipit's office. She looked a mess more than likely; her auburn hair had been piled up on top of her head in a vain attempt to keep the hair from falling in her way as she worked and the bags under her eyes more than likely quite prominent. Her face heating up had nothing to do with the proximity of where she stood to closed door of her fellow co-worker's office. No siree, there was no correlation between her now sweaty palms and his office door. Nope, none, nada. Yet why had her paced slowed to a hesitant crawl? Chancing a glance towards Pipit's door, she noticed a now sixth candy cane hanging from his door handle.

Had Pipit been leaving her the candy canes? It couldn't be, could it?

This had to be some mistake; some strange, painful mistake. There was no way Pipit would leave such a sweet (both literal and figurate) trail to his day for a – a what exactly, a chat?

Rapping her knuckles against the wood gentle, she prayed to every Goddess Hyrule has ever known that this wasn't some must up joke set by Groose and the Big Bird-esque fellow, Strich, who always followed him around since she held no attraction for their blue haired friend Cawlin. And that Pipit had done something so nice on a day when she just wished to hide. Even if that meant conceding to the notion that she in fact was hiding out in her office. Which she wasn't – okay was.

(She may have also rayed to every Goddess Hyrule had ever known that Pipit had in fact been downstairs with the rest of her colleagues spectating whatever testament of bravado Groose had challenged Link to. Usually in the name of her best female friend and sole reason she hadn't fired the junior staff members ages ago because honestly a good majority of them were less useful than a sack of potatoes.)

She heard a soft voice say to come in and through the frosted window beside his office door she could see a silhouette stand from its position behind it's desk. So much for the Goddess sticking to the idea of hen before men and dong her a solid.

"Hello." She started, opening the door slowly, "Sorry to bother but um, my office seemed to have two new additions to it when I returned and the hallway looked to be recently redecorated. DO you know what's going on?"

He instantly sent her a smile but shook his head, "Not the faintest idea." So it wasn't him. Groose and the Big Bird were going to get it. She had new assignments she had yet to delegate out to the junior staff members – they looked to be getting the larger piles usually dealt out to Zelda and Link. But the Pipit let out a laugh, his hand reaching up to scratch the back of his neck. "Okay maybe the faintest of ideas."

What now?

"You've been cooped up in your office all day – nothing against that, we need the junior staff members to be more diligent and you're setting a wonderful example but-" his voice clipped off, his eyes looked a bit wary as if trying to find the right thing to say. "When you hadn't shown for the senior employees usually lunch break I assumed you were taking a working lunch and let it be, but then I ran into Link on my way back up here and he mentioned how you had received a letter from Cawlin and Zelda now was grumbling about you hiding away in your office.

"This may have been a poor method but I thought it to be a sweet way to take your mind off things. Even just for a little bit" He finished nervously. Did people just gossip instead of working? What had her office some down to – not like she ever sat with Zelda and spoke about their fellow employees, nope never. (conversation of her pining tragically after her fellow senior co-worker on the other hand did come up every so often.)

"You used candy canes to get me out of my office?"

He shrugged in defense, "It worked."

She gave him a soft smile but then it morphed into more perplexed, "How had you known I had left my office? Otherwise you would have had to open the door and leave the candy canes while I was in there."

He once more rubbed the back of his neck nervously, his eyes drifting elsewhere in the room, "Your friend told me you were leaving." Zelda was in on this? That large pile of work was going back to her desk. "Gave me a small window of opportunity."

"Opportunity for what?" Karane found herself asking quietly.

"To ask if you wanted to get dinner sometime?" Maybe her friend would not be getting such a large pile of work after all.


	10. Christmas Music

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fado may have hated Christmas music but that didn't stop him from an impropmetu concert with his new neighbor.

He couldn't be the only one in the world who couldn't stand Christmas music, could he? Every shop he went into had some holiday song playing whether be Bing Crosby crooning out Winter Wonderland (or about half the songs on any holiday music discography), the Beach Boys vocalizing in Little Saint Nick, and Mariah Carey belting the lyrics to All I Want For Christmas Is You. And every commercial that aired during the season seemed to have the Trans-Siberian Orchestra's Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24, a composition he performed several times throughout his orchestral career back in high school and college. Eight years of the same chords and finger placements still haunted his dreams whenever the holiday seasons rolled around.

He will admit Thurl Ravencroft and his bass vocal's performing You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch was the only Christmas song he'd voluntarily listen to.

He often caved and played something for those in the holiday spirit whenever he busked between November and December. Though he never actually took rupees or had rupees offered to him so maybe busking wasn't the correct term. Fado enjoyed the beauty of music and the joy of brining music to the masses regardless of the channel through which the music reaches the ears of other people. Which in a way was a bit ironic seeing as he couldn't stand Christmas music. Opening the door to his apartment, Fado reached for his trusty violin from it's case slung over his back – he had found a wonderfully difficult composition when wandering through town. It had been several pages long, his fingers instantly going through each positioning as he read over the sheet music in the shop. Currently his fingers twitched in anticipation to begin working on the piece.

Before he got a chance to start, he heard a garbled melody coming from the apartment above him. Must be the new neighbors. For as long as Fado had lived in this complex, the apartment had been vacant - it had been difficult for the apartment to be rented out. The closer he neared the opposite side of the apartment (his kitchen), the clesrer the music became. Someone had been playing a Christmas song on – was that a harp? He didn't recall a Christmas album being put out solely with a harp. The window in his kitchen never completely closed allowing for the wind to force its way into his apartment. No matter how many times he requested for the superintendent to come in to perform maintenance on it, the wind seemed adamant on entering his kitchen.

That definitely sounded like a harp.

Whatever song his upstairs neighbor had been playing was marked in ¾ time. An eighth note E, eighth note C, a dotted quarter C, eighth note A, dotted half note A. He knew that song… He hummed along with the harp, E-C-C-A-A, E-C-C-A-A… that's the song from Charlie Brown! His fingers gently glided along the neck of his violin, playing the notes in tune with the harp. The next note abruptly stopped – was that not a recording? Had his neighbor been playing an actual harp? Interesting.

He initiated the next move; alternating the tempo just slightly, Fado began playing Feliz Navidad singing the lyrics under his breath. About halfway through his rendition if the song, the harp upstairs layered on a slow, captivating rendition of Blue Christmas.

He found himself quietly singing along to his mystery neighbors unique version, "You'll be doin' all right, with your Christmas of white. But I'll have a blue, blue, blue, blue Christmas."

Taking a page from the stranger's book, he amended an arrangement of Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas into something of his own. He could make out the sound of a foot tapping on the floor above, marking time. The harp then once more joined in whatever it was the person was playing sounded akin to something one would have heard back in the Temple of Time. What in the world - then the chorus rang in, both simultaniously eerie and triumphant. "Joy to the world." He muttered. "Other words I don't know. Ba dum, ba dum, ba dahhhh." Did anyone know any of the words except 'Joy to the world'?

He smiled to himself as he went over the few Christmas songs in his repertoire he had left. Would a song played on the ukulele sound well on a violin? Maybe, maybe not. Screw it. Readjusting the violin's position under his chin he began to play Mele Kalikimaka. The harp quieted and a soft laugh carried through the air, a laugh that sounded even more bewitching than the hyponotizing harp harmonies. He toyed with the notion of heading upstairs to introduce himself to his neighbor when a soft composition filled his apartment. He didn't recall this one. Each note carefully plucked. Without missing a beat, he overlayed the gentle melody with his own, his bow gliding across the violin's strings. Blending the two harmonies brought about something unearthly, unnerving - beautiful. His bolder piece juxtaposing his neighbor's more serene one. When the two finished their impromotu concerto, Fado almost found himself climbing the flight of stairs separating the two apartments. The only thing stopping him was his nerves. It's not like he hadn't seen a person in the recent few months - it was the unsettling feeling in his stomach when the person didn't see him. He had been attached to this apartment for a while now, caught in an endless dance of living in a lonely world, his only solace being the company of his violin. The front door creaked open slightly, the two youngest tenants rushing in cheering about whatever made children happy. The smaller of the two raced for the stereo, putting on a Christmas station - Frosty the Snowman happily playing through the speakers. He bit his lip waiting for the person upstairs to continue with their game; the response came in the form of Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer. The door opened once more, the parents now entering into the room.

With a sad smile, Fado walked towards the kitchen window, but stopped just short of the glass. They hadnt questioned the harp playing along in a beautiful blend... they couldn't hear it, could they? Walking through the window, Fado sat down on the fire escape, the wind rushing and wiping his hair about. Glancing up he noticed the apartment upstairs to be pitch black - no sign if anyone inside but he could still hear the harp.

I've missed you Laruto.


	11. Snow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was snowing. Actually snowing and as a life long resident of the Gerudo Valley out in the desert Nabooru wished to partake in the joyous moment.

Letting out a sigh, Nabooru barely paid any heed to the notes she jotted down. She may as well be scribbling nonsense. One of her coworkers had been giving a presentation on who knows what to cut prices while simultaneously upping the going green factor management had been pushing. She felt bad not listening but from the look on Saria's face across from her (the one who sent that not so anonymous request to shift towards a more green workplace) she could just ask her for a rundown later. The woman looked enamored with their coworkers ideas, feverishly writing everything he said - judging by the now two pages worth of notes. Glancing about the table, she noticed near the end of the conference table Darunia pretending to be note taking as well; if not for the nodding of his head in time to that damn song Saria got stuck in his head and inadvertently everyone's head, she would have actually believed he had been paying attention. Seated at the far end of the table, Impa sat with her arms crossed at her chest, her face impassive. Is it sad Nabooru wished to be as indecipherable as the Sheikah woman? One never knew what she thought, the face she wore when she thoroughly approved of a project or an idea matched the face she wore when she heartily disagreed with a project or idea. Rauru sat with a soft smile on his face, the same smile he wore whenever someone stood up during the meetings for a presentation. She had only seen the smile falter once mid-speech. He usually waited until the unlucky soul concluded for his smile to fall if he didn't approve of something. That poor soul no longer frequented their head of department meetings.

Even the ever dignified Zelda looked bored out of her mind!

Nabooru turned in her seat to grab something from her bag when she caught a glimpse out the window. It was snowing. It was honestly snowing. After moving to Castle Town earlier that year from the Gerudo Valley she had never had the luxury of experiencing all four seasons - it was either really hot during the day or decently cold at night back home. She had never experienced snow before. Zelda, who sat diagonal from her looked through the window as well and sighed. Guess she didn't like the snow?

Saria, for the first time the whole meeting, took her eyes off of the presenter. Her face lit up as she stared out the window as did Darunia's but the was probably due to him being in the same boat as Nabooru- never experiencing snow due to where he previously lived. Saria just happened to be an avid fan of the outdoors. She even tried getting management to move her office to the quad outside.

The meeting seemed to speed up, as if each attendee wished to leave the room. In what felt like minutes, the presentation (she didn't even recall his name) concluded and Rauru announced they'd be convening downstairs in the atrium for lunch if anyone wished to join he and Impa.

Before Rauru could finish, Saria had already begun organizing her (recycled!) notepads and laptop into her bag. Darunia following her actions. Once dismissed, the pair chatted animatedly about having their lunch in the quad. The pair looked like two elementary school kids with their enthusiasm.

Ruto strolled over to her and muttering about whether she wanted to join Rauru and Impa in the atrium or going outside with the shorter woman as they walked towards their offices. Nabooru opted for going outside. The weathermen hadn't predicted snow today - she had no idea how long the weather would last and she wished to enjoy her first traditional winter as best she could. Wrapping herself up in a white peacoat, Nabooru then placed a large, light pink wool scarf around her neck. Her gloves tucked into the pocket of her peacoat. She watched several coworkers file into the elevators wrapped in their own winter coats.

Catching the next elevator from the bay, Ruto idly chatted about some guy in marketing she may or may not have been texting during the meeting. Choosing wisely to leave his name out when other coworkers boarded the lift. It seemed like everyone had been bundled up for the snow. Was everyone going outside to the quad? Passing through the atrium, Nabooru noticed Rauru and Impa seated at a table for two - probably not expecting anyone to take him up on his offer - glancing over their menus. Maybe she should have agreed. She could go for their broccoli cheddar soup. Shuffling through the exiting crowd, Nabooru found a majority of her coworkers to be heading towards the car park or the front entrance rather than the quad. Guess everyone was going out to eat. She quickly grabbed a sandwich and a cup of tea before slowly walking outside. The moment she stepped out into the quad a burst of wind surged. A very cold burst of wind.

Nope never mind going back inside.

Her body involuntarily shivered from the shift in temperature. The conference room had been kept at the perfect heat preventing the need for coats or jackets. Then walking about with her coat on kept her rather warm against the slightly cooler temperatures of the areas subjected to central heating. But now, now she was outside in non-hyperbolic freezing weather. Beside her Ruto gave out a curt laugh. "Give it five minutes. Everyone's going to be racing back inside. You included." Her friend said, reaching out a gloved hand to catch a few flurries. Saria had already staked out her claim on one of the benches. She had brushed the snow from the surface to be able to sit and play with the loosely packed snow at her feet. Darunia wasted no time mucking about in his rain boots.

"I'm from the desert, we don't have - this." She said inarticulately, gesturing to the snow falling around them. "Days in the desert are sweltering and sure, nights in the desert can be a bit cold but nothing like this." They never reached temperatures where rain froze to form ice crystals.

Snow. Nabooru held out both of her hands, still barren of gloves, inviting snowflakes to fall onto her awaiting palms. This was actual snow. Letting the faintest of smiles grace her features, Nabooru took a few more steps into the quad and tilted her head back allowing for the snowflakes to fall upon her nose, her eyes, her tongue. Approximately seventy-one percent of the word was covered by water and no one batted an eye yet the frozen form of precipitation falling down on them had her coworkers (and herself if she were being truly honest) jubilant. Seventy-one percent.

From the corner of her eye, she could make out a group of guys from IT taking a shortcut through the quad; all but one too engrossed in conversation to pay the weather any attention. The last of their group took languid steps, his head at a normal position but his amber eyes transfixed on the sky. He had transferred from the Gerudo branch within the past few months as well, marking this more than likely his first experience with the foreign climate. The large mountain of a man with dark features and an even darker coat stood in stark contrast to the bright white snow layering the ground. Snowflakes littered his clothes and clung to his reddish hair.

"If you keep staring at him you may melt the snow and ruin poor Darunia's fun."

She wasn't staring at a colleague. And if she was, it was nobody's damned business. Who cared if she liked the small smirk that played on his features as he brushed the soft flakes from his already tousled hair. Or his hair in general. Or his smirks. His amber eyes locked with hers from across the quad. She could see his lips moving but couldn't make out what was being said. He then brushed snow from the sleeves of his jacket. Nodding just slightly at her, he slipped into the complex, following after his friends.

Maybe the snow was a sign of a new beginning: her new life here in Castle Town; a new adventure for herself; a new culture to get used to – and a new-ish colleague she had run into every now and then back in Gerudo but now saw him near daily that she fiercely wished to climb like a tree.

"Let's give it thirty seconds, then race back inside. Maybe you could end up reaching the elevators just in time to catch the same one as him."

Yeah, this was definitely the sign of something new.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nope. I got lost on the trains while writing this.


	12. Fireplace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A freezing night finds a friend on Seres' doorstep – at least she's got the fireplace going.

Placing the mug of tea down on her side table, Seres situated herself onto the couch book in hand. She had been reading up on the History of Hyrule, a book a friend had gotten her when frequenting a shop near Hyrule Castle. It had been a chilly night, the wind seemed to loudly bellow every few minutes of so - at least she had finished her chores earlier allowing for her to search warmth inside of Sanctuary rather than finishing up whatever she needed outside as the sun set. But now the sun had long gone for the day, replaced with the moon illuminating the night sky. Her aging father had retired for the night leaving Seres to her own devices. Before her the brick fireplace radiated a warm heat as the logs crackled. Extending her feet out, she rested them on the coffee table before her, inching her legs out as far as she could to get as close as she could to the fireplace. Even if it were by mere inches.

Flipping open to the book to the page she last dogeared, Seres found herself ready to once again submerge herself in the book but a knock at the door pulled her from her chance.

Who could be knocking at this hour? Not to say it was too late into the night but the time no longer could be considered evening. With a soft sigh, she placed the book on the side table beside her mug. Meandering through Sanctuary Seres found herself in front of the door. She tried to peer through the door viewer but due to the lack of lighting both natural and from the lamp beside the door could not make out the visitor. Maybe she hadn't completed all of her chores as she originally thought. Silently ensuring the door chain had been set in place properly, Seres quietly asked who was there.

"Osfala. I know it's kind of late and all but-" She pulled open the door as far as the chain would allow. Standing before her, she took in the long (prematurely, but don't mention it to him) gray tresses which seemed a tad shorter than the last time she saw him. His cheeks were scarlet in color as were his pointed ears. His green irises, which looked to be fighting back tears, focused on her as he gave a soft smile. "Hey. Again, I'm terribly sorry. I know it's late and I don't mean to be a burden but I'm a bit trapped here. Two days in a row, the weathermen incorrectly did not predict snow – let alone predicted this storm. All buses back home are suspended indefinitely; no one can see far enough ahead of them to risk driving on the roads." She held up her index finger, silently asking for him to wait a moment. She shut the door and slid the door chain off. He stood before her in a jacket too light for the apparent blizzard howling behind him, his head and hands naked against the cold.

"Come in, come in." She all but pulled the male inside by his frozen, bright red hands. Why hadn't he worn gloves in this weather?! She had just poured herself a mug of tea not too long along – the tea had steeped for a few minutes but the water should still be relatively hot, maybe just a minute more on the stove. She directed her friend into the living room before racing down the hall to find him a fleece blanket. The one hanging over the back of the couch would do him no good. He'd stay an icebox.

"Do you want tea? Maybe some hot chocolate?" she called out, three fleece blankets laid in her arms. "I think we have hot chocolate packets." She muttered to herself. She heard him yelled something about being fine as he was but that couldn't be true. Her poor friend was mere minutes from becoming no different than the icicles apparently hanging from Sanctuary's gutters. Well the house add-in of Sanctuary's gutters. He couldn't be fine. Gently laying out the pile of blankets on her coffee table for his perusal, Seres raced back into the kitchen, placing the kettle on the burner. She'd make the fool she called a friend tea and force him in front of the fireplace hurried in blankets if she had to. What had been so important to stay outside in a blizzard?

After pouring the tea into a mug, a bit of sugar in a bowl, and milk into a cup she brought everything out to the coffee table. "Honest, you didn't have to do this Seres, this is too-"

"Nonsense." She said softly, raising a hand to silence him. "Anything for a friend." It may have been a trick of the light but it looked like his cheeks, which had finally begun to lose their scarlet color, flushed red once more. "Are you sure you're okay?" her green eyes surveying him. He didn't look to be visibly shivering anymore as opposed to the slight shaking that occurred on her doorstep. With a soft smile, she grabbed the large pillows from the couch as well as the fleece blankets and laid them near the fireplace. She beckoned Osfala over, the two of them situating themselves amidst the beddings in front of the blaze. The pair enthusiastically chatted about anything, everything well into the night; the moon had long passed its apex by the time Seres felt her eyelids begin to droop. The mugs of tea long finished when Osfala reached over and gave her a hug, quietly thanking her for her hospitality. Anything for a friend she told herself, anything. He went to bid her goodnight but she tucked herself into the blankets, head resting against one of the large pillows.

"Are you sleeping out here?" He asked, his voice confused.

"Why go to my room and leave you alone out here when I have this perfectly fine sleeping arrangement. If anything, as my guest you should take my bed." Osfala went to protest but his words stopped in this throat as she brought the blanket up closer to him, ensuring he'd stay warm. The fire which previous crackled vibrantly now mere dying embers. "I'm fine here if you are."

With an audible yawn, Osfala rested his head on his pillow quietly speaking, lulling them both off to sleep. When her father woke early the next morning, he found the pair wrapped up in blankets sleeping soundlessly in front of the fireplace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As Baby It's Cold Outside plays begrudgingly in my head halfway through. I never liked the song but now it's stuck in my head.  
> If you have any relationships, platonic or romantic you wanna see let me know.


	13. Decorations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ilia was many things: smart, loyal, determined. And dammit she was going to decorate Link's bare apartment!

Placing the last of the boxes on the floor, Ilia glances around proudly. Several boxes lay about, each with different types of decorations inside. Apparently her boyfriend did not in fact have any holiday decorations- not even snow globe! He rented a house near the outskirts of their small town and rarely had guests over. He rationalized there needn't be a need for decorations if he was the only one to see them.

(She disagreed, hence the boxes she lugged from her attic.)

She and her father had finished decorating their place about a week prior and it was time for her apparent Scrooge of a boyfriend to get a leg up on decorating.

Said boyfriend walked into his living room with a questioning look. Shrugging he plopped down on the couch, watching as she explained what she had brought; nutcrackers, garlands, small festive knick knacks , a plastic snowman, window stickers, etc. He nodded absentmindedly, glancing out of the corner of his eye at the snowman peaking out of the newly opened box. The light up carrot nose hung halfway off from its place on the snowman's face. When did that happen? The snowman hav been perfectly fine when she picked out what she would bring to his place. Oh well nothing a little glue couldn't fix.

Removing garland from the box, she manage to coax him into assisting her hang it around the molding of the archways of his bedroom, the bathroom, the kitchen and, the old bedroom of that impish woman. Ilia's eyebrows furrowed at the mere thought of her boyfriend's old roommate. Taking a deep breath in, Ilia made to calm herself. The impish woman was no longer here - moved somewhere closer to Twili Corp after her promotion or something like that. Stupid, voluptuous witch and her equally stupid (boy toy?) friend who hung about int he apartment.

Holiday spirit Ilia, holiday spirit!

The garlands possesses small fairy lights, softly illuminating each archway in gentle greens, reds, golds, and silvers. She pulled out a small, plastic recreation of mistletoe which she attached below the garland hung around the entrance to the kitchen.

"Is that a weird way of saying kiss the cook?" Link asked with a small smirk, leaning against the far wall.

Damn that was good, why didn't she think of that?

She had him removed all of his belongings from his kitchen table while she uh about in one of the boxes she knew she packed a table cloth. Where in the world was- found it!

"Your previously nude table is now clothed." Ilia said proudly, a red tartan pattern table cloths covering up the small stain Link had made a few days prior after spilling coffee on the cheap tabletop.

"But what if my table enjoyed being a nudist?" She needed a new boyfriend. Sending him a soft glare, Ilia made quick work lining his tv stand with Nutcrackers; the large one dressed up as a knight in shining armor to the left of the tv, and the large one dressed as a wizard to the right. Ten miniature nutcrackers stood in a row in between the two. Atop his makeshift bookcase, which was really just three wooden milk crates stacked on top of one another in the corner, Ilia placed a small wooden sign with the words 'Happy Holidays!' painted on it.

"You gonna help?"

"I helped put the garland up didn't I?" Little shit, well little shit who happened to be taller than her little shit.

Resigning with a sigh, Link walked over to where she was and held his hands out. Good. Reaching into one of the bins, she pulled out the window stickers. "Go crazy." She told him.

After ten minutes of silence on his part - though Link being quiet wasn't odd behavior - Ilia asked him how he was doing. Leaning against the window, he looked engrossed with attaching each jelly sticker to the window. Taking her eyes from him, she noticed his interesting choice of arrangement. Well lack there of. Stars were littered across the window pane, presents just as disorderly placed. A Christmas tree, which consists of four stickers in specific order, had been scattered about the glass. He hadn't even written out the words properly, instead making strange anagrams from the words Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.

"You having fun over there." She asked quietly, maybe saying 'Go crazy' hadn't been her smartest idea.

His head turned to face her, his blond bangs brushing against his eyebrows as he did so. "I think I'm pretty good at this decorating thing." He joked with a small smile. Clutching a small wreath in her hand, Ilia sent a small smile back to Link. This would be his first holiday season where he'd be the one to host his friends and his first true holiday season. And may she say it took a lot of conversations before he even considered the idea of a party. For as long as she's known him (second grade!) Link's always been alone. He grew up without his parents on the outskirts of town, just a few blocks from where he currently resided. At one point he dropped out of school and traveled around; he said he had no real roots to anything, may as well live in the moment. It's actually how he met That Woman. They were two people alone in a world full of people who fit in just right. Two people who didn't have someone waiting for them at home with dinner made and a smile, like she had with her father.

He had returned a few years back, still slightly alone but this - this would be her gift to him. A season, regardless of the holiday itself, but a season where friends and family would gather and show to him he wasn't alone. Maybe the decorations wouldn't be needed but she wanted him to feel loved by all in his life.

Her grip on the wreath tightened as she glanced down at her sock clad feet. This would be the best season of Link's life and she was going to do everything in her power to make it so.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is my least favorite


	14. Eggnog

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Having been at the party for an hour, Malon begins a countdown for when would be the proper time to leave said party.

She didn't intend on being the wallflower of the party.

She had intended on waltzing in, shrugging off her lovely winter coat, and mingling until the party concluded – or the sun rose, whichever one came first. Oh, and also stealing a bunch of pigs in blankets and cocktail shrimp. Honestly, only reason anyone attends a party, to steal the finger foods laid out on the tables. Well in this case laid out on the serving plates of the caterers. Her friend was having his holiday party catered, like with actual people in white button ups and black slacks walking around asking if you cared for whatever was on their plate.

Wasn't going to a catered party like going to Mars? Only a select few had the chance of experiencing such a feat.

One of the servers, Linebeck according to his nametag, had made a few rounds passed her and she made have stolen a trays worth of pigs in blankets. Half of which currently hid in her clutch.

Leaning back slightly, Malon let herself fall against the cold wall of her friend's foyer. She had intended to be social, she really did but the overwhelming feeling that washed over her upon entering the front door won out. She recognized a hand full of guest and recalled the names of even fewer. Currently she genuinely knew only two partygoers the host of the evening and his plus one. Which in a way doesn't count seeing as everyone knew the host and his lady. Hence the invitation. There was a tall, impassive woman standing directly in front of her and Malon recalled her face but couldn't place a name to her.

Was this really how the night would go?

Clicking the button on the side of her phone, Malon notice she had been at the part for a little over an hour. She'd stay at most one more hour – bailing at the two hour mark was proper etiquette right? Especially for someone who visibly did not belong at such a lovely cocktail/holiday party.

One hour starting now.

Five minutes in Malon found herself sidling against the walls to the bathroom. She recognized a few of the women milling about waiting for the toilets. She believed she knew the name of the woman who asked her if she had a Tic Tac but to be honest the name may have been completely off. (And she did not in fact have a Tic Tac. Just a bunch of pigs in blankets)

At the fifteen minute mark she left her post against the back wall and found herself against the wall near a large punch bowl filled to the brim with eggnog.

Did eggnog taste good?

What even was eggnog?

Flicks of cinnamon were sprinkled across the top of the creamy beverage. Picking up the ladle from the punch bowl, Malon poured a small glass for herself into a glass reindeer mug. May as well right? Taking a small sip, Malon made a subtle face of disgust. At least she thought it was subtle.

"Eggnog isn't for everyone." a male standing on the opposite side of the table said, his mouth hidden behind his reindeer mug. A large white knit cap sat atop his shaggy blond locks, his bangs framing/hiding parts of his face.

Sending him a small glare, Malon threw back the drink grimacing just so after finishing her cup. Nope, the stranger was right - it indeed was not for everyone.

"That's also the one with the brandy in it." But that's the only bowl of eggnog... Glancing at the other patron of the eggnog bowl, she took in his appearance - a large white scarf wrapped around his neck matched the knit cap he wore, his rich royal blue sweater making his visible red eye pop. Wait red eye? The male let out a tired sigh, throwing the rest of his drink back before ladeling himself a second glass. "Yes this is my natural eye pigmentation, no I am not wearing colored contacts or any contacs for that matter, no I am not half albino, and it's the amount of melanin my eye possess."

Malon gave him a confused look, before whispering, "Your eyes are lovely."

"Sorry, I usually answer my frequently asked question once someone fixates on my eye color."

"Do you have a print out of your FAQ page?" The blond let out a laugh - a rather jolly, head tossed back one. Smiling softly at his reaction, Malon found herself pouring a second glass of eggnog regardless of the unappealing taste.

And ten minutes later filling up a third (still grimace inducing) glass as she and the mysterious blond were will into a game of who's who. They would point out a person attending the party and if the other did not already know the person, they would have to try and guess the party goer's life. Currently they were imagining the life of a short, oval of a man's life. The male reached a hand up to brush his fingers of his take on a handlebar mustache and chin puff combination.

"Judging by the horror of a red coat, I'd say he moonlights as a lobster hunter when not admiring his facial hair. The coat is a means to blend in with his prey." Malon found herself throwing her head back laughing. This is not how she had imagined the night to go - well, partially. She imagined she'd be circulating the floor, engaging in conversation with all touching on an array of topics. Her contentment written on her face. Instead here she was joking with one guest surveying the crowd from the back of the room away from the views of the others. Her contentment written on her face.

Nursing her fourth and final reindeer mug of eggnog Malon was still gladly in this odd exchange between a male. The minutes ticked closer and closer to her one hour mark yet she no longer felt the desire to make a swift exit - saying a brief goodbye to the hosts and making a dash for her car.

"Do you like food?" the male asked, his words feeding into each other.

"Typically, yes I like food."

He let out a sole embarrassed chuckle, shaking his head slightly, "I meant actually food, not the hor'dorves you smuggled into your purse."

"Again typically, yes I like food."

He gave her a smile smell before asking if she wanted to get crappy food from a diner not to far and forgo the apparent three course dinner the guests had planned. She thought it was just a sole course, not three. But crappy diner food with this mystery man felt more invigorating than her current socializing. Not like anyone would even know she was gone - just the two hosts would would circulate over to her whenever they could.

She did end up leaving around the two hour mark of her being at the party when she intended and did end up swiftly saying her 'thank you's and 'goodbye's to the hosts but instead dashing for a different car than her own. And instead of curled up in her bed watching some asinine television show she was in a slightly sticky booth at a diner, her feet curled underneath her ordering the world's greasiest plate of disco fries.

"And can you bring eggnog. She really enjoys it." He told the waitress as she went to leave their table. "I'm Sheik by the way."

Definitely not how she planned her night to go. "Malon." But definitely worth it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any of you guys know what Christmas movie has people drinking eggnog from glass reindeer mugs?  
> If you, do I like you cause that one's my favorite.


	15. Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hundreds of miles away, Hylia is trapped in an airport just trying to get home.

Leaning back against the cold window, Hylia glanced out at the tarmac before her. The snow had started to come down, the light flurries now transitioning into something heavier. They had cancelled two flights already to places up north. Thankfully, the trip from Skyloft to Hyrule would be in the opposite direction, outrunning the storm – if their flight would be called to board soon. Being confined to the airport had her feeling anxious. Skipping whatever song had just begun on her playlist, Hylia tried to take her mind off the current situation. Hopefully, any minute now one of the attendants would call over the PA system informing them boarding for Flight 1986 would commence and she would be up in the air en route back home. Up in the air en route to experience her sister's astonishing culinary skills.

Din was honestly a goddess when it came to the kitchen. She could cook anything and that wasn't her sisterly pride talking. Din possessed a wonderful skill, a skill Hylia tragically did not. She could nuke food pretty well...

Tracing patterns over the glass, Hylia caught a glimpse of herself in the reflection a forlorn look on her features. For the past semester, she could either be found holed up her room or crammed into the small study closets in the campus' library barely having a moment to breathe. Her sisters always joked that in college you had enough time for 3 for the S's: Sleeping, Socializing, or Studying. She never had to choose between the three up until her fourth and final year of college. This semester, she could barely handle one S's - the cosmos twisted way of making up for her previous ease. With her finals joyously being over, she felt she could breathe once more.

She could practically taste Din's roast beef. The burnt, barely there hamburger and the overly salted fries she bought paled in comparison to the meal she knew her sister to be concocting. A meal she sadly would not be enjoying until well passed dinner time.

Glancing up at the flight board she noticed another flight has been cancelled. This time for a flight out west to Termina. All flights to Hyrule looked to be operating near schedule. Fingers crossed.

"Come on, call Flight 1986." She mumbled to herself, "call Flight 1986." Hoping beyond hope her quiet wishes would urge the attendants to ready the flight quicker. It had been twenty-five tiring minutes since they were supposed to have boarded. From her perch, she watched a Boeing 747 inch its way to the terminal. The Jet Bridge slowly connecting the Terminal Gate with the door of the plane extended outwards.

Finally! Go plane, you can do it!

Her phone pinged three times in rapid succession; a text from all three of her sisters each telling her she never called Mom about making it onto the flight. Or her dad. Opening up a group message between her parents and herself, she informed them she still sat bored as anything on a radiator in the terminal's waiting around.

Instantly, she received both her mother and her father's wishes that they hoped she be safe in her seat as soon as possible and that they were deeply sorry for her situation. She was supposed to land later in the night. With the weather, it looked like she would either land in Hyrule well passed her original arrival time or end up like the people in Terminal B trapped in the Skyloft airport. She really hoped it wasn't the latter. She was too far from her dormitory to be able to make it back safety if the weather progressed if the planes heading south were cancelled or even drastically delayed. Then again they probably wouldn't let her leave the airport.

At least she had a blanket crammed into her backpack. If the Boeing 747 that arrived wasn't hers, she'd set up shop right here on the radiator. Using her bag as a pillow, she'd stretch out wrapped in her fleece blanket. Riding out the impending storm in an airport eating crummy fast food.

Though she hoped it wouldn't come to that.

A soft melody began to play on her phone, signaling someone was trying to reach her over a video message. Mom?

Her mother's smiling face appeared on the screen, her thick red hair done up in a messily elegant bun and her cream sweater pairing beautifully with her darker skin tone – a trait none of her daughters inherited. Her dad's head popped up beside her. At least he trimmed the handlebar within the past week since they spoke, it was starting to look scruffy.

"How's the poor little orphan child? All alone in Skyloft?" she could hear Farore's voice in the background, her mother trying to pan to capture her sister on screen but instead only caught the back on Din as she put something into the oven. Din had been the only one to inherit their mother's flaming red hair.

"Weren't you and Nayru supposed to come here and pick me up?"

Two "Fuck that"s were heard. Her parents rolling their eyes. She could make out Jabu (her sisters' father) muttering something about poor manners. Once again, her mother rolled her golden eyes. Her lips frowning in annoyance. Her mother did care for the man – he did father three of her kids but man did she detest the large male. She only invited him to their weekend shindig because of said fathering three of her children.

"Your cousins just arrived from Termina, when do you think you'll board?" her mother asked, ignoring Jabu in the background.

"No clue." How had they gotten from Termina before her?! In the small section of space above her parents' head she could make out one of her behemoths for a cousin. There were four of them and somehow they all stood upwards of 6 feet 5 inches dwarfing her at a mere five foot.

Watching them have to duck to get into rooms was pretty entertaining.

"Faron says they should be here within the next hour or so. There's apparently a surprising amount of traffic on the interstate. It's not surprising, you decided to drive before a storm is supposed to hit." She could picture Nayru rolling her eyes as she relayed the information. Their mother hushed her, telling her to be quiet.

Oh how she wished she were home with her family.

"Now boarding Flight 1986."

"Finally!" her parents cheered, "You'll see you soon honey! Either your father or I will be at the airport to pick you up!" her mother said blowing her a kiss.

"I'll save leftovers!" Din called out from the background, "If the Neanderthals don't steal it all." Her four cousins could be heard trying to defend themselves as Hylia chuckled out a goodbye. Three hours and she'd be home, wrapped in the company of her family and eating something that wasn't microwaveable as she ran from one side of the campus to the other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any thoughts?  
> Also the mom is supposed to be the Goddess of the Sand and her dad the Great Deku Tree personified.


	16. Tree

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Saria and Mido find themselves fake Christmas tree shopping for the first time.

The living room of their small apartment to anyone who visited apparently looked rather barren – barren of one specific item, a Christmas tree. Several friends asked when they would be getting one and if he were being honest he had no clue. He never had a real Christmas tree, his mother being allergic to them. Their trees tended to be made of aluminum and covered with a million LED lights.

Saria never had a Christmas tree in her house. Growing up, her parents would place the presents outside by the tree in their backyard and everyone would have to race to bring them inside before they started freezing. She said there was something even more special about having the same tree every year rather than cutting down a perfectly good one as a temporary decoration. As she grew so did the tree.

Naturally that meant they weren't having a cut down tree. One, their apartment was too small for it and two, they both found it wasteful. They could use her tradition and adapt it to a tree nearby but the tree outside their apartment was thin and beside the sidewalk. Not saying they lived in a horrible neighborhood but he didn't trust leaving his wrapped presents outside for any amount of time. Hell, he didn't even like leaving the purchases he ordered online outside. He would set the time for the deliveries to arrive when he would get home from work.

No porch pirate would steal the present he spent however much money on, thank you very much.

Saria opened the door humming an upbeat tune to herself, a large wrapped package in her hands – "No peeking!" her voice chimed as she raced from one end of the apartment to their small bedroom on the opposite end. "No peeking!"

"Kind of hard to peek when you're in the other room."

"But still, no peeking." He could feel himself smiling. He was lucky to have her.

When she returned from their room, she still had her coat on and her scarf wrapped around her neck. "Get ready, let's go find us a fake Spruce. Or Fir, I don't judge." Shaking his head as he smiled, he headed from the coat rack near the entrance. His green knit cap hanging from the pocket of his coat and the matched green knit scarf hung up on the hook underneath.

"Mido, let's go!" She cheered, grabbing her gloved hand in his bare one. "The bus should be coming 'round soon." Neither of them drove, either opting for public means of transportation or bicycles and it was too cold for the latter. Leading her from the apartment, he quickly locked up and they began their trek to the bus stop discussing their day as they went.

"So then I proposed an idea that would get us a cheaper deal while being able to obtain more products from Better Cotton members." His girlfriend would change the world, he was sure of it. She'd make everything greener – both metaphorically and literally; she loved the color green. She was going places, places he wished he'd be beside her for. "And guess who was named team leader?" she paused for a moment before proudly smiling at him, "Moi!" Yup, definitely going places.

The ride to the shopping center wasn't too long, both participating in idle chatter. Walking into the home improvement store through the gardening section, his girlfriend glared at the workers manning the Christmas tree section. "Those poor trees, living just long enough to end up drying to death as a decoration. What a horrible way to die."

The pair meandered the aisles of the store itself in search of a nice tree that could fit on the surface of their end table. Preferably something that wasn't gaudy or tacky. The further they wandered, the less successful they felt. Each tabletop tree that would fit in their apartment looked like a cheap, glittered waste of money. They found one that looked real; nothing decorating it that either blinded them or made them grimace. Sadly, it was well out of the price range they had agreed on.

"It's okay, there's a superstore next door." Saria said hopefully. To their dismay, traversing the aisles of the superstore yielded the same results – just gaudy over-priced pieces of garbage they wouldn't dare put up in their home.

Saria shrugged as they exited the superstore, "Maybe it just wasn't meant to be."

Mido's hand squeezed hers as the cold air outside hit them head on. "We could always bring the presents outside in front of the scrawny tree and then bring them back inside a minute or two later. I know you liked that tradition.

Saria went to say something but stopped glancing at something not too far from them. Following her line of sight, he noticed she was looking at something on sale at the natural food store across the way. Tugging him of their path to the bus stop, Mido found himself standing in front of rows and rows of living tabletop Spruce trees. They had to be at most two feet in height. The tabletop trees each placed inside of a small black plastic bin.

"Mido." She started, picking up a tree, "How about we start a new tradition – even though it takes three years for something to be deemed a tradition." It did? "Why not this?" She asked, holding up the small tree. "We can buy a living tree and give it whatever it needs to survive. Then when the holidays are over instead of tossing the fake tree inside of a bin and shoving it somewhere for next year or throwing the tree out on the curb like everyone who bought a living tree does, we plant it somewhere. Each year adding a new tree to the town. What do you think?"

Did he say he loved her? Because he did. Especially when she was talking about something she was passionate about – such as protecting the trees like the Lorax. "We plant a new one each year?" He asked quietly.

She sent him a soft smile, playing with one of the branches on the tree, "Maybe we could convince our friends to partake as well – each year planting multiple Spruces. Or Firs, again don't judge. We'd be participating in a usual holiday tradition while taking Mama Nature into consideration. So, you want to buy a tabletop Spruce for our first Christmas tree?"

He already pulled his wallet out halfway through her speech. "Let's buy this bad boy."

As they walked into the store, Saria stood on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek – he wasn't blushing excuse you. They've been together forever, he was just cold. "And we can carry this tree on the bus. I was kind of nervous we'd find something and have to call someone to come get us because it wouldn't fit on the bus."

"Do you have any lights to decorate it with?" Mido asked as they waited online, the woman before them shuffling through her accordion folder full of coupons.

"We have to decorate it?!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The lady on the news deemed the people who steal packages left at houses "porch pirates" and I really digged it.


	17. Secret Santa

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vaati is determined to give the best gift to his female coworker to gain another's attention. (Because that'll work.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my first attempt at Vaati's personality and I don't think it went well.

Vaati glared at the name on the slip of paper he had received. This was a stupid idea, why had he agreed to go along with this?

His job was doing a Secret Santa (what a stupid name) in lieu of their usually game of White Elephant (again, what a stupid name). He preferred White Elephant to this Secret Santa thing. At least in White Elephant he could somewhat ensure he left with a decent present. Last year, he had drawn the last card meaning he was the last to pick his gift. He stole the expensive present the goody toe shoes little blond twerp had unwrapped just before him. And he was hoping for an encore performance this year.

(Especially stealing from the twerp.)

But no. Instead he has to go out and buy a present, not for himself like he did the previous three years, but for someone else. Who even did that? And of course the name he had drawn had to be someone he could care less about – hell he didn't even know she had a name prior to receiving this slip of paper. To him, she was just the girl who sat a few cubicles down from him with cropped blue hair. She was attractive don't get him wrong, but she was – how did he put this. Not the name he wanted on the slip of paper. He wanted the blue-eyed vixen with the luxurious blonde locks he wished to tangle his fingers in. She'd walk passed his desk every day to get to her office – because his object of affection was ambitious and determined – and every day he'd wish she was his. This stupid means of gift giving was supposed to be his way of having her acknowledge they were meant to be together. He had even rigged the set up to ensure they would both pull each other's names. Years from now she would tell their kids that they fell in love over a dumb gift giving game at the office. Yet why was this not the name of his beloved?

He blamed that little blond twerp – whether he did mess with Vaati's plans for true love or not, he was going to blame that blasted blond nitwit. Always talking to his love, always making her laugh – he'd show the blond twerp that no one got in his way when it came to proving his love.

Even if proving his love meant buying a gift for some coworker he knew nothing about. His beloved seemed keen on the idea. She thought it was a good way to get to know your coworkers. He'd prove to her he could pay attention, could buy a gift based off the likes and desires of another person. Even if that person tragically wasn't who he wished.

And even if he wanted to just buy some stupid present and get the whole thing over with.

Glancing down the aisles of the store, he saw nothing that would make him look like the best gift giver in the office and have his beauty turn her lovely blue eyes on him in admiration and wonder. Everything looked so trivial.

"Can I help you with something?" a voice asked from behind him. No, he's just-

"I need a present that will make my beloved love me as much as I love her."

The store's worker gave he an incredulous look. Opening and closing her mouth a few times she finally said, "Never gotten that before. I don't really know how to help with that but if you tell me about her I can probably give you some ideas." He then fed into a large explanation of his love. Waxing poetic on her perfect features and the elegance in the way she carried herself. "Sir, she sounds perfect but I meant something more along the lines of her interests as opposed to her outwards appearance. For instance, does she like clothes? Does she like video games? What's her favorite show? Things of that nature." Useless.

"I'll just find it myself." He grumbled, stomping down the aisle. His perfect angel didn't deserve such useless garbage. As he walked briskly through the aisles, he found himself in the makeup area. That's it! Women liked makeup and the blue haired woman could always use a palette of colors to enhance her better features. The blue haired woman would love her gift and then his beloved would notice him and fall in love with him. Yes, it was foolproof. Grabbing an array of eyeshadow palettes and something called contour palettes – even a tube of mascara and a bottle of liquid eyeliner, Vaati made his way to the checkout.

Totally foolproof.

.

.

Turns out his plan was not as foolproof as he believed. Unlike White Elephant, all the participants milled about opening their presents at the same time. There was no grand gesture of Vaati handing over his gift and his beloved falling into his arms at the sight of his present. Just the blue haired female quietly thanking him as she placed the wrapping paper into a nearby garbage bag. What was this nonsense? White Elephant was better. At least his beloved could see he was determined to leave the holiday party with the best gift of the night. Which the previous year happened to be an expensive bottle of liquor he had wished to share with her – it was still in his alcohol rack, waiting for the day the two of them could drink together.

Glancing up at her from across the room, he noticed her brushing her lustrous strands to the side, revealing the smooth expanse of her neck. Taking a few steps towards her, he finally paid heed to the cretin that stood behind her – that annoying blond twerp, always meddling in between the affairs of Vaati's heart and his beloved's. (Vaati would prevail!)

The blond twerp fastened a small pendant around her neck – if Vaati had picked her name, he would have gotten a better present than that measly excuse for a necklace. But his steps faltered at her smile. His love looked thoroughly overjoyed gazing at her new piece of jewelry.

"Hey, so I got you for-"

"Not now." He muttered harshly, waving off whoever dared try to speak with him. Did she, did she actually like what the twerp had bought her? Was that the way to his beloved's heart? Small necklaces? Odd choice. She then turned and hugged him – hugged! Her arms were around another man who wasn't Vaati because of a simple necklace.

Would he get a kiss if he had bought her a necklace fit for a queen?

He vowed to start saving up now to afford the necklace befitting of a queen, for his queen. And to get better at rigging a bag that you draw names from. Next year he would be the one to be hugged by her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As Mariah Carey's Obsessed plays softly in the background. It's also 4 am, someone kill me.


	18. Mistletoe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Allowing herself to be talked into going to a singles mixer was not her best idea... not her worst idea though either...

apping her fingers listlessly against the tabletop, striking red eyes scanned over the crowd. How had she even agreed to this? Or this outfit? Gone was her staple combo of long skirts and cropped tops (because she didn't care about weather norms) and replaced with a deep green halter top skater dress. Her red hair pulled into a half up half down braided bun combo.

At least her winged eyeliner looked bomb, as per usual.

A sign overhead proudly declared they were at a single mixer. She would have wrote 'find some idiot to take home to the family for a night to shut them up before never speaking again' - she also could be in her bed, drinking wine from the box, swiping left or right on the same idiotic prospects with her phone. At least she didn't have to wear clothes while doing that.

Then again her bed didn't have free food and peppermint schnapps so very, very small, minuscule plus. Getting up from the table to order another drink the bartender gave her a sidelong glance before her eyes shifted behind them. No. It was already an open bar no need to 'buy her a drink' go away. Sending a glare to no one in particular, she snatched the drink from the bartender's hand. The small pixie of a bartender letting out a loud chuckle. So far her prospects included:

\- A stay at home dad (which sucks cause he is fine as hell but nope, no kids. Not now, not ever.)

\- A guy who lives with his parents (not saying anything was wrong with it, houses are expensive. She lives with her three best friends because they're all broke. But he wasn't going to school nor was he employed... so bye Felicia.)

\- A hockey player missing half his teeth (badass.)

\- And a recent divorcee who chugged a full tumbler of scotch the moment he sat down at her table (same, not really but low key same dude.)

Currently her money was on taking home the divorcee, if he decided to take the ring off. Even though she knew he was single, she'd still feel like a home wrecker... maybe she should just go for hockey player...

Crossing one leg over the other, she surveyed the crowd once more over the rim of her glass. Needs more alcohol, less chaser. As her eyes panned over each sorry sap, she noticed a male shorter than her starring her down from across the room. Ew, look away you limp noodle. She hadn't spared him more than a moment but that mere second of eye contact apparently meant come hither.

Fuck, maybe she should just hit on the women. At least they seemed promising; one chick at her table was a belly and fire dancer and had a twin who she danced with. Which is amazing by the way, she couldn't dance with fire - drunkenly she tried to twirl as fire stick at a frat party, her friends eagerly cheering her on. But good on them with their amazing skills.

The woman in charge of this 'shindig' walked towards the bell, about to signal their first mingle session was about to end and dinner would be served when the male she hadn't eyed plopped down in the seat beside her. What did she do to deserve this? So what if she's been hooking up with randoms and getting drunk every weekend for three months while her roommates lived in blissful coupledom. Her tragic "uncoupling" was rough and she was enjoying her twenties.

She needed more booze.

He opened his mouth and began asking her questions about herself. She really needed more booze.

His name was Zant, it was exotic. He worked as a corporate underling but would one day in the quite near future be in charge. He was basically royalty. Bleh bleh bleh. Honestly she couldn't tell you anything he said in the five minutes he sat beside her except he seemed very confident in himself.

Oops her glass is empty.

Getting up, she muttered some lame excuse for leaving and stormed over to the bar. "Stiff. Don't care what, but make it as stiff as humanly possible." With a lighthearted chuckle, the bartender made quick work of a gift from the goddesses. Tossing some of the drink back, she noticed the bartender give her another look. As subtly as she could, she mimed out a height shorter than hers. The bartender nodded absentmindedly. She then mimed a larger weight than hers. Once again the bartender nodded absentmindedly. She detested when men followed her after she made an exit. Throwing the rest of the drink back, she loudly muttered about heading off to the bathroom before dinner was brought out.

Hopping up on the bathroom counter, she opened up the 'dating' app her friends downloaded a week after her break up. She used the term dating loosely.

Right, left, left, left, hello right, left, left - her finger hovered over a smiling blond face. Where had she seen him before? He had a few friends in common with her but then again her friends had befriended basically half of their university on every social media platform.

Maybe she saw his face in passing on campus? That made the most sense.

Witty bio, check; obligatory stupid photo with a cheesy grin, check; not too far in distance, check; he had a photo of himself with a wolf of a dog, check fucking mate man. Swiped right.

Ayyy match.

Deciding she hid in the bathroom long enough and that the primavera should be served by now she washed her hands (because whatshisface touched her hand) and headed back out.

Damn, she wanted to gorge herself on pasta. She deserved that didn't she?

Finding her seat, she noticed her new table neighbor to be whatshisface. Fucking hell man. Her eyes locked with the hot chick at her table and the woman gave her an apologetic look. At least her new neighbor was someone decently attractive and probably not dull. Guess that's what happens when you're a belly/fire dancing twin - maybe if she leaned across the table and made out with her whatshisface would go away. Would she be down to help a girl out? Usually Zelda or even Malon would be the ones to help her.

He turned his head and noticed she was there. Pulling out her chair, he gestured for her to come sit down. Dammit.

Side note: gorging self on pasta does not make listening to him any better. In fact, she may never eat pasta again.

The woman in charge once more stood up telling everyone to mingle well they brought out the entrees. Could she get her steak to go? She didn't want to be at this table anymore. HE asked if she wanted another drink, which she somehow said yes to - probably just to get him to go away. Twirling the straw in her drink, she let out an audible groan when the seat beside was filled once more.

"Okay, came to help you out but I can go if you want." A different voice said. Midna's head whipped about, taking notice of the blond who sat in front of her. The same blond she had just swiped right on.

"Fuck me." She muttered.

"Here?" He gave her a faux incredulous look before letting out a laugh. "I got a notification during dinner I matched with someone. Kind of surprised when i looked up and saw the same person sitting across the room talking to someone. Well from what it looked like not voluntarily."

"No, no it was not."

"Link."

"Midna."

"Zant and your in my seat." fuck man, fuck. Just when things were starting to look up. Link said some cheesy line about it not being his seat - technically Zant's seat originally was a few tables over. He then aid he was having a lovely conversation with her and asked Zant to give them a moment. Or forever, Zant didn't have to come back. Her hand snaked it way up Link's arm to his shoulder.

Thor wing back the drink he picked up for her, Zant marched back over to the table he had been sitting at.

"The hand bit was a bit cruel." His smile, said otherwise.

"You were White Knighting."

He gave her a sheepish look and rubbed the back of his neck, "Was I? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. I know it's not all that attractive-"

Her fingers then dance their way up his neck, silencing anything else he may have been trying to say. Eh, White Knighting was okay when it was annoying men who couldn't read the room. Dinner carried on, the wait staff having to shift around what Link and Zant ordered, because apparently he had told them while he was up he moved to a different table from his original one. Which incidentally had been the same table as Link's. They chatted about anything and everything, her stealing a potato wedge off of his plate, him getting back at her and stealing one from her plate. Looking up, the belly/fire dancer sent her a wink. And who'd of thought she'd meet a profile from a dating app at a single's mixer?

Getting up to go to the bathroom (for reals this time, she actually like this one) she hadn't noticed Zant followed her. The alcohol had finally kicked in and Midna swayed a bit as she entered the back hallway. "Well damn, stiff may have been the wrong thing to ask for." she muttered to herself. Or at least she thought it was herself, until she heard a low brow comment about stiff ones.

Urgh men and their dicks. Why were they a thing?

Procreation, right.

"Not interested." Midna called over her shoulder, pushing her way into the bathroom. The belly/dancer followed her in not too long after.

"Hey sorry, I saw him waiting in the hallway for you and figured you'd need someone after the several glasses i watched you consume." Nice, thanks, girls looking out for girls. Always a plus. Or something like that. Fuck she had to pee. She muttered out a thank you from the stall. "At least the other one seems nice. Cute too." Hell yeah he was. Midna picked up out and she has a specific type: hot. Taking their time, the two ventually emerged from the bathroom but instead of finding Zant, Link was leaning against the far wall, hands in his pockets.

"Hey, I thought-" Midna started, glancing about trying to find the other one.

Looking sheepish once more, Link quietly said, "White Knighted once more?"

The woman smiled at them, sent her a wink and headed back to her attractive male friend. Go girl, go! "I see." she said a loud, "And what, pray tell did you White Knight for?" She began to walk across the small hall, her body inching closer and closer to his.

"Some weirdo hiding near the woman's bathroom after a lovely woman, who seemed to have rejected hi, went in."

"Did you hit him?"

"No, I'd rather not cause a scene, just strongly encouraged him to leave before a scene broke out."

Her fingers trailed up his arms, slowly bringing her arms to wrap around his neck, "The was rather chivalrous of you." His eyes watched everything he did, as her fingers now played with the hair that hung at the base of his neck. They remained in this position for who knows how long, eyes locked on one another. Her gaze then shifted upwards, towards a small plastic plant above them. "You know-" She started, her eyes still trained on the plant. "Mistletoe is a hemiparasitic plant. Meaning it uses a host to supple it with it's nutrients."

"Interesting turn of events." Link muttered jokingly, "I thought you were going to kiss me instead I'm getting a lesson in botany."

"Oh fuck it, thank you for White Knighting." She muttered before crushing her lips against his. Even if she didn't need it.


	19. Gingerbread House

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fi is determined to build the best damned gingerbread house.

She slowly walked the street, feeling a bit like cattle being herded, as the crowd moved in small steps. Each window elaborately decorated with holiday paraphernalia and animatronics bringing an array of scenarios to life: elves building toys, a family lighting a menorah, constructing a house of - was that candy? What was that? The further they walked, the more elaborate the window scenes became but she found herself planted in front of this one window. People weaves around her as she stared in awe at the small candy home. What was the brown thing used for the siding? And the roofing? What in the world was that? Her windows pressed against the cold glass, her nose brushing against it as well as she inched herself closer to the scene.

"I love gingerbread houses too." A little girl said, mimicking Fi's actions. Her face pressed up against the bottom of the glass, just barely able to see. Gingerbread houses? Houses made of gingerbread? "I always steal a few pieces of candy when we make one." You construct the house of gingerbread and then decorate it with candy, interesting. Standing in the spot for a while, a family mulling about became tired of her watching the one machine and bumped her out of the way.

Gingerbread houses.

Stopping at a grocery store on her way home, she bought two loaves of gingerbread - she wasn't too sure how much she would need so, safe side.

The structure of the home had been basic. A gable roof supported by four sides: two rectangular sections to the east and west while two slightly irregular pentagon sections stood to the north and south. Simple enough in design, construction may be a tad more challenging. The rectangular sides of the house stood a mere half the height of the irregularly shaped pentagon ones. Even if you factor in the scale of the animatronic gingerbread house in comparison to the real thing, the pieces should not be this small. Slicing a thin piece from the loaf, Fi held it up. There was no feasible way this small slice of bread would be large enough for a wall with a peak.

Moving her wrist slightly, the top of the slice of gingerbread flopped back. The structural integrity of the gingerbread house would be questionable with such flimsy building materials. How did people currently sound gingerbread houses? Did they place something on the inside to act as support beams?

Then again, a house with a weak foundation cannot stand. From what she saw from the scene in the window, gingerbread homes had a steady base made of and icing acted in lieu of bolts and nails. Cutting off one side of a cardboard box, she chose it to act as her base.

She then place one slice near the right side of the base. That would be one wall. Slicing off another piece of gingerbread, Fi placed in to the left side of the base. Now for the larger walls...

Fetching a knife from the kitchen, she came to the only rational idea - she'd make her own peaked walls. She'd cut out a triangle from a different slice and craft them together.

Piping icing along the four sides of the eastern wall, she attempted in vain to have it stand on the cardboard cutout. Not even a mere second passed before the slice of bread toppled over. Maybe all four were supposed to stand up unanimously equally supporting the weight of the other slices with its own. As she piped icing along the base of the triangle she cut out to combine it with one of the rectangles the front door opened.

"Hey I'm- what are you doing?" Ghirahim asked, confusion laced in his voice.

"Making a gingerbread house.

"With bread?" He asked, walking towards their dining room table which acted as her construction site.

She turned to look at him, eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "Gingerbread."

He threw his head back letting out a boisterous laugh - her roommate was always rather exuberant with his actions. Her dad attempt at making her first gingerbread house did not call for that reaction.

"Wait let me get this straight." He started, dropping into the seat opposite her. "Your making gingerbread with gingerbread."

He's eating her building materials. Though she did have a second loaf which may not be necessary. "It's in the name is it not?"

Leaning back in the chair, her companion teasingly asked, "Has this ever worked before?"

She shrugged just slightly, "I wouldn't know, I've never done this before." His eyes widened in surprise before asking her to repeat herself. "I've never made a gingerbread house before." She stated slowly.

"Don't touch anything and give me five, ten minutes at the most." He quickly jumped from his chair and sped towards the front door. Don't touch anything? But she had to place the pieces together before the icing hardened - and he just got home where was he off to know?

Struggling to erect a gingerbread house - she'd even be pleased with a gingerbread hovel at this point, Fi resigned to the idea that maybe she wasn't meant to have her own. The front door once more flew open - he was one day going to have to repair a broken door - her roommate gliding in armed with two plastic shopping bags. Large red boxes peeking out at the top.

"These are gingerbread houses." He stated proudly, placing the bags on the table. What? Reaching inside, she noticed an artist's rendition of the house almost identical to what she saw in the window earlier.

"You don't make it with a loaf of bread. It's this weird hardened version that I never really understood not liked to eat." Flipping the box over, she read the instructions for a Pre-made Gingerbread House. Pulling out the tray frm inside the box, she felt one of the roofs that she was to attach. As opposed to her loaves of gingerbread, this was firm. A suitable building material.

Brushing his white blond hair from his face, Ghirahim sent her a smirk. Let's do this."


	20. Snowball Fight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Snowball) War, huh, yeah. What is it good for? Absolutely everything.

Feet crunching in the snow, Niko glanced down at the expanse of white covering the earth. It had snowed the previous night, leaving a wonderland of snow for those out and about in morning. Aside from the partial plowed street, the snow looked beautifully untouched. He stopped his pace and reached his ungloved hand down to run through what he thought was loosely packed snow. It would probably be melted within the hour. But instead, found the opposite.

Huh, interesting.

Mako still continued on a few feet in front of him, nose tucked into his book. Senza's voice covered through the breeze as he told a farfetched tale of how he ended up with something and definitely not through the act of conning some poor fool. Smirking, Niko balled up the snow.

Perfect. Cold! Crap, really crap – he flung the ball of snow with maybe less aim and accuracy than he would have liked. Instead of hitting Zuko, the ball of snow grazed right over the red cap atop his head and imploded on Gonzo's back. Uh oh.

Gonzo turned on his heel with a skill Niko wished he possessed. (He would have slipped and ended up face first in the snow.) His face read in silent question of who did it but the dark eyes of his towering friend locked with his. Gonzo knew he was the one to toss the snowball. Double uh oh.

Here lies the bumbling idiot known as Niko. A mere lowly peasant who never rose through the ranks of life or success only to die at the hands of the man he aspired to be.

Was that too long of an epitaph?

Before Gonzo could even take a step forward, the male beside him Nudge had already gathered up enough snow in his hand for a second snowball. One he rubbed about on Gonzo's head. The look a pure betrayal flashed across Gonzo's features as Nudge ran on ahead to hide behind a building column.

"Free for all!" Senzo called out, racing to hid behind a snow-covered bush. The rest of the group disbursed, hiding themselves somewhere along the path – all except Niko. Had he inadvertently started a snowball war? Sure felt like he inadvertently started a snowball war.

He heard someone call out 'Fire in the hole' – he wasn't really paying attention, too wrapped up in the idea that he in fact had started a snowball war – when a ball of snow wacked him in the face.

"Payback." Ah, Gonzo.

"Idiot, you're a sitting duck." Nudge called out, letting out a barrage of snowballs in his direction. A good majority (read: all but one) coating Niko. Cold, cold, cold. He rushed to find some place to call his base and to his dismay either someone already occupied the area or it place did not provide adequate coverage. He wouldn't be as much of a sitting duck but there was still a high chance that he wouldn't make it out of this war alive.

"Take that." Mako called out, chucking a snowball across the street towards Zuko who returned with his own assault. Soon the walkway had become a battleground for what he would call the greatest snowball fight of all time. Seven participants, all on their own side – it was mayhem, nah anarchy and it was awesome.

"Ceasefire!" Zuko called out. "Civilian!" An elderly woman, assisted by a young child slowly made her way across the non-shoveled path. He already had a snowball armed and ready as the woman hobbled through the terrain in an attempt (and a surprisingly good one at that) to make it through unscathed. He had to place the snowball attempt the snow to keep any semblance of feeling in his hands, leaving his defenseless to the sneak attack Mako perfectly executed. He somehow snuck around the bush, passed Senzo to where Niko made his base, and wailed hi right in the face. He did all of this without being noticed. Nice. Before he could reach for the snowball to fire back, Mako had raced off to wherever.

"All's clear!" Zuko called out, lifting the pause from their snowball fight.

He couldn't tell you how long past: ten minutes, fifteen minutes, hell maybe even an hour of taking hits as well as dealing them past before Gonzo's voice could be made out, "Crap guys, Tetra's waiting for us!" Right! They had been walking down the path for a reason and that reason being their spitfire of a captain waiting at the Ghost Ship Diner for breakfast. She was gonna kill them.

Triple uh oh.

And when she found out he had been the dope to declare war by throwing the first snowball.

He should go put a down payment on a graveyard plot right now. Did they take Venmo?

Shaking snow from his sleeve, Nudge jumped out from his hiding spot behind the bush. They were all covered head to toe in snow, shivering from whatever previous attacks had slowly melted. Valiant efforts had been made by all parties to remove any trace evidence of a snowball fight occurring. Hats and jackets shaken out briskly for it was too cold to go without them, pants brushed off, ungloved hand rubbed together rapidly to cause even the slightest bit of friction for warmth.

"She's gonna kill us." Mako said, his book once more pulled out and his nose once again pressed against the pages.

"We could always say we got lost." Zuko offered. It would be no use – especially when the lie would be coming from their walking GPS.

A snowball flew through the air with terrifying speed, smacking Senzu directly in the middle of his face. Then a second smacking Nudge in the same place. "You lot thought you could stand me up and have a snowball fight wthout me?" uh oh infinity. "Well you were horribly wrong. I can take you all at once." There in all her glory stood Tetra, her blonde hair piled on top of her head in a bun, her red scarf wrapped haphazardly around her neck.

Here lay seven idiots. Died at the hands of their badass captain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know why Tetra would be their captain in this but whatever.  
> Every time I typed 'Zuko' I thought, "Honor!"


	21. Peppermint

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aryll just wanted to spend the night studying, not ending up in a coffee shop. Especially a coffee shop with a cute barista who she happens to have the world's biggest crush on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is part one of a trilogy of prompts

"When X is equal to 4, determine where the function is increasing and decreasing. Okay as f(x) equals 3x-" at the sound of her phone vibrating on her desk, Aryll took her attention from her homework. Who would be messaging her? Everyone of importance knew she had a huge calculus test on Friday that would estimate where she stood for the final exam. As said everyone of importance knew she was not to be bothered this week due to studying for said exam. Fingers crossed she would not need the mandatory weekly or the dreaded biweekly tutoring sessions.

She didn't have time for- her phone began vibrating again, this time signaling a call. Why didn't she put it on silent earlier? Glancing at the screen she saw the annoyed face of Mila staring up at her.

"What do you want?"

"Wow, love you too." She heard her friend on the other side of the line, the wind whipping about in the background. "Can you come get me, well and Maggie but mainly me. We're at the station and - damn, someone dropped a whole box of chocolate on the steps. That sucks buddy. But like it's cold, can you come get us?"

She had studying she needed to do... "Why are you even at the station? You have a car..."

"Grounded, got the car taken away. Now can you come get us?" With a groan, Aryll's eyes shot over to her clock. 8 pm. She planned on studying until her eyes began to droop then knock out until the morning and start studying again over breakfast. She had been going through this cycle all week and would continue until her death a.k.a. Friday.

"Yo girl, cold."

"Fine, give me five minutes."

"Wear something cute, you're gonna be standing next to me. We're in the ticket station." Nope. Throwing a large light blue hoodie over her v-neck, and stuffing her fuzzy socks clad feet into a pair of boots, Aryll found herself begrudgingly trudging downstairs. She tossed her hair up into a messy ponytail and hastily brushed her teeth. Mila and Maggie were lucky she had some semblance of a heart going out during the last week before he execution. "Hey can I borrow the car for a bit?" She called out.

"Sure, you can use mine." She heard her brother call. Wait what? Whipping around she noticed him sitting on the couch. "Hey-"

"When did you get here?"

He gave her a shrug in response, lifting a water bottle to his lips. "Gran called said she was going out for a bit. It's Bridge night, they're living wildly." She was seventeen years old! As much as she loved her brother she didn't need a babysitter! "She figured you'd have your headphones in studying all night and if someone broke in you'd have no idea. Plus, my apartment's empty for the night. May as well be in some form of company."

Aryll grabbed the keys he offered her and jokingly said, "Girlfriend left you? All alone?"

"Apparent all the women in my life are having a girls night." He said with a soft smile. "Be home before 9:30, otherwise Gran will think I'm a useless babysitter." Nodding in response, Aryll grabbed her coat off the hook and raced out to her brother's awaiting car. At least the drive wouldn't be too long.

Upon arrival, her friends dramatically dropped into the car - feigning the fact they were more ice boxes then humans. Drama queens. "Seeing as you left us to basically freeze to death, I think we should go get something from Dragon Roost-" Aryll found herself braking as hard as she could, "What the hell?!"

"No."

Maggie peeked her head in between the two front seats and muttered, "He doesn't work tonight."

"Ergo, Dragon Roost. Let's go Chives."

No no no no. She already made a fool of herself earlier during their Calc class when she gave an idiotically stupid answer and now he probably thinks she'll be the idiot partaking in the mandatory biweekly tutorials and no kid in the top twenty (ten?) of their class would want to be seen with the dumbass who can't do simple calculus. Nope, no, not today. "Why not try that new cafe by the school? I hear their lattes are amazing."

"Wimp." Maggie muttered leaning back into her seat.

Somehow, she found herself in the parking lot of Dragon Roost, her hands glued to the steering wheel. No, she couldn't do this, nope nope nope. "It's rather hard to get hot chocolate from the car..." nope nope nope. With a groan, Mila physically pulled her from the car. Hey, she could give them cash and if they were good friends they'd walk inside for her. "I reiterate, he does not work tonight and you know this."

Resigning, Aryll's feet dragged her through the front door of the coffee shop. He works every other day, and today happened to be an off day. No problem, no problem-

Problem! Very big problem! Nope! Standing at the counter closest to the door in a horrible, bright red apron stood the source of her discomfort. A mop of floppy snow white hair contrasting perfectly with tanned skin, his aquiline nose buried in a book.

"Well damn. Someone truly hates you." Why tonight, why now? Why was fate a heartless wench? Could the ground open and swallow her whole? That would be splendid.

"Hey guys!" Medil chirped from her perch at the cash registers, "What can I get you?" At her voice, his eyes drifted up from the pages locking with hers. Abortttt.

"Well my favorite barista, I would like a peppermint mocha- no gingerbread! Yes, that sounds great. I know Mags wants a boring cup of coffee, black as night. Aryll what do you want? My treat for you picking us up." She opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out. Instead she found herself in an awkward stare off with the male behind the drink machines. He gave her a small smile. Abort?

"Peppermint hot chocolate. She'll have a peppermint hot chocolate." Medil nodded, punching in their order while he slid from his stool to craft their drinks. She should have stayed home and had Link quiz her. Now instead of just being the idiot in his Calc class, now she's the idiot from his Calc class who can't even order for herself. Maggie sat down at the coffee bar, lining the outside of the drink station. Why Mags, there's a plethora of empty seats throughout the shop, why? Mila sat down beside her and engaged him in conversation about who knows what. With shaky legs, Aryll found herself seated on the third and final seat at the bar, her focused trained on the wood.

"How's the studying going?" Huh? Her eyes shot up to look at him, another soft small on his features. "The wood can't be that enthralling can it?"

"No, just going over formulas in my head." He gestured to the book he placed down, "Same here. I was supposed to be have a date-" she ignored the way her heart clenched at the word 'date' - "With antiderivatives tonight but Quill's wife went into labor. Leaving us short."

Mila propped herself up by the elbows, "We had to help Aryll escape hers. I could practically hear the date going south from my room." Chuckling, he placed their drinks on the counter top and Maggie linked arms with hers pulling her from the seat.

"As much as I love discussing school when not in school, there's a comfy couch calling my name." She heard Mila agree with Maggie before she was pulled off to a corner of the room.

"Nice job love bug." Mila started, "You were somewhat a person around him." She needed new friends and fast. From the corner of her eye she noticed Maggie glance up at the counter. A silent conversation (Maggie's favorite kind of conversation) playing out before her. Turning her head slightly, it looked kind of like Maggie was talking to- oh god what if she liked him too? Maggie never said she liked Komani - or anyone for that matter - but what if her shy find liked him too?! They were both studious, both timid, both perfectly content to sit silently. Oh no, what if she was in the way of her friends happiness because she had vocalized her crush on him?!

Taking a large gulp from her hot chocolate, and ignoring the fact her tongue was now numb, Aryll resigned herself to step back. Maggie deserved to be happy. Oh so happy. She didn't trip over her words around a boy - or say easy Calc problems wrong because she just can't speak in general.

She heard Medil giggle and Komani quietly protest something. A minute later she could see him working his way around the room, sweeping the floor with jerking movements. Medil leaned across the counter and rolled her eyes.

"Can't you guys come sit with us. No one except us is here." Mila called out.

"No." Komani answered curtly but Medil slid herself across the counter top. "Medil."

"Oh relax. Like you said Quill's in the hospital with his wife. We're fine." Medil sat down on the chair across from her, sipping on an iced coffee. She turned her head to face him, a second silent conversation happening in front of her once more. Shaking his head slightly, Komani ended whatever was discussed when he began slowly sweeping once more. "So what are you doing over the break?"

Her friends voiced their plans and Medil shared hers as well but Aryll's eyes continuously drifted to the male sweeping the opposite side of the room, his back turned towards them. Bad aryll, you just said you'd step back for Maggie's happiness. "She's having her annual Christmas bash Monday - which basically is just her brother's friends getting wrecked and us recording it for posterity." Mila started. Her face then lit up, "You two have to come! It's great! Okay well one time, her brother cut his open hand but at least he got a girlfriend out of it. Still great!"

"It's fine, we wouldn't want to impose-"

"No no no, it's fine. Trust me there are so many people who come anyway. People are basically hanging from the rafters."

Maggie let out a chuckle, "I like how Mila's the one inviting you guys, not Aryll." At the mention of her name, Aryll's eyes turned back towards the group. Crap, what was going on?

"Yea sure." she muttered, taking another large gulp from her peppermint hot chocolate.

Medil then whipped around in her seat, "Guess your driving me to Aryll's party." Her eyes widened, was that what she said sure to? Oh god, now he'd have another reason to not like her - her drunken older brothers (because her brother's friends were basically family) being their rambunctious selves.

"Who said I'm even going?"

Medil rolled her eyes before sitting properly in her seat, "We'll be there. Just text me the details later." Oh no, were they dating? Oh god, she had a crush on a friend of a friend's boyfriend?! And a guy her best friend liked?! Way to go Aryll. Way to be a horrible person. Truly horrible. And they'd probably show up at the party in matching Christmas sweaters and hold hands and kiss under the mistletoe her brother jokingly hung up to tease his girlfriend with and -

"Aryll? You okay?" Looking up, she noticed, the concern in Komai's eyes.

"Yes! Uh yes. Perfectly fine, fit as a fiddle, right as rain-"

"Rambling." Maggie muttered into her cup. Right yes, rambling. She was rambling, wasn't she. Looking up once more, her eyes locked with Komali's. His eyes widened in shock and flitted away to focus on the floor. At the light elbow jab Mila sent her she figured she wasn't the only one who saw that.

Chatting idly for the next hour, Aryll announced they had to leave for she had to study some more. Manly it was to remove her from she said attempts to not stare at a more than likely taken male. Komali who had raced behind the counter after he finished sweeping, muttered something about how he was doing the same. Sliding into the front seat of her brother's car, Aryll let out a groan. Could she be anymore awkward. Maggie's hand rested on her shoulder, a small but proud smile on her lips. Mila flung herself through the passenger side door and cheered. "He's coming to your Christmas bash! Now you two can make out in the corner like little dorks and you can say it all started by you going with the greatest women in the world to get a peppermint hot chocolate."

But what about Maggie and her silent conversations and the looks and Medil-

Turning in her seat to look at her friend, Aryll went to say something - anything, when Maggie beat her to it. "I may have known he would be there. Medil texted me." Oh shit, she went there to talk to him and now Mila was rubbing it in her nose that he'd be coming to the Christmas party. "She's been trying to get him to ask you out for weeks. In class today she was complaining about how he won't make a move so when he got called in for this shift, she thought it would be the perfect opportunity. Neither of you would expect it and we'd be their to help you two, who are hopeless with matters of the heart, along the way."

"Mags, I think that was the longest sentence I have ever heard you say. But yea, surprise! We love you, please don't kill us for trying to fix you two up. Think of it as a blind date but you two are already hopelessly in love with one another."

Wait what?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't tell me in high school you didn't get a little nervous every time someone would give certain looks at your crush and think they were dating.


	22. Ugly Sweater

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Every year the faculty has an Ugly Sweater competition and Lulu is a shoe in for the prize.

"Good morning Miss Lulu!" one of the students called out in the crowd.

"Good morning!" She called back cheerfully, not being able to figure out which student had said it – she thought she recognized the voice but she wasn't one hundred percent sure. The hallway had become a sea of bodies, ebbing and flowing from one classroom to the next. Some lugging about instrument cases, the others just armed with a backpack. She had been granted the privilege to teach these young ambitious minds and mold them into future musicians and thespians in a school simply for those wishing for a future in The Arts. Mind you the kids still took math courses, science courses, and English courses like your average secondary school student but those took second fiddle to courses like singing lessons, drama class, and marching band.

If only she had a chance to attend one of these schools prior to her time at university. She, unlike a majority of her graduating class, had gone to an average run of the mill high school. No sing offs in the middle of the halls or kids dueling away on their cellos in the cafeteria. It was something out of a dream and Lulu adored every moment of it.

A few of the younger students giggled as they passed, glancing up at her only to turn away instantly in a vain attempt to hide their snickers.

She preferred not to wear red – wasn't in her color wheel – but today was the faculties annual Ugly Sweater contest. She would win this year, trump Toto's three year hold on the title, and win the prize of a gift card to her favorite restaurant. She would be victorious! And unlike what she's seen from her fellow coworkers, Lulu spent the time to make her sweater herself. Well, decorate it herself. She was rubbish at kitting or crocheting.

She took an old red sweater and went a bit embellishment crazy; several small fake presents and ornaments smaller than her thumb had been sewn on, a large snowflake ironed on in the middle as well as the words Let It Snow. It looked wonderfully ugly and from what she's seen she is the leading contender.

At least, she thought she was the leading contender until she walked into her last class before lunch. Due to the concert they put on at the end of the calendar year rapidly approaching, the members of the school's select jazz band had been practicing with her select choir students for the opening set. Usually the choir and jazz band met separately but in preparation for the show, her and Mikau had combined the classes in the auditorium. Taking her place behind her stand, Lulu originally hadn't noticed her coworker enter, her attention instead focused on the students slowly filtering into the room and hanging their bags up in the back. But then he walked over to ask her if they could start at the fortieth measure for the trombones were having difficulties with the section, she finally took notice of the monstrosity that was Mikau's contribution to the contest.

Dar, she really wanted that restaurant gift card.

The sweater had started out as an ordinary green sweater but that as the only thing ordinary about the article of clothing. A large, silver strand of tinsel wrapped around him about four times fully. The smallest Christmas lights she had ever seen wrapped in spirals around the tinsel blinking on and off. (Battery operated?) He then had a few round tree ornaments of varying sizes hanging from his sweater.

No, she was going to win! She had seen Toto's attire which was not as good as his usual submissions to the contest – she would have won! Mikau had never really partook in the contest, wearing simple sweaters with the tiniest of embellishments. Why the sudden change?

His lips curled into a devilishly lazy smirk – stop, they're at work! He shouldn't be that handsome! – when he noticed her glaring at his apparel. "Would you like me to take it off."

"Quite presumptuous, now are we?"

His eyebrows raised in jest, an eye teasingly winking at her, "Quite presumptuous of you to think I was being presumptuous. I just figured you couldn't take your coworker seriously in this obscene thing."

"Then yes. Take it off." He sent he one more teasing wink as he walked over to his students shuffling through the doors, "Get ready trombones, we're starting from measure forty. I know how much you love that section." He then looked over his shoulder at her once more.

Tapping her baton on the edge of the music stand, she instructed the jazz band to turn to measure forty where they would be beginning. She conducted with her baton in 4/4 time, feeding the lyrics of the first three measures to her students. "Ready? One, two, three-" she mouthed the word four, all participants coming in on the next upbeat. The flowing of instrumental notes blending seamlessly with the choir's vocal harmonizing. There was a reason these students had been selected for the (non-officially titled) elite assemblies of students. They would do swimmingly during the showcase in the spring.

Getting lost in the music, Lulu hadn't even realized they've recounted the same sections multiple times – straightening out any rough patches – 'fake it til you make it' – and doing at least two solid run throughs of the whole composition. She hadn't even noticed the bell would be ringing soon and Japas had dismissed the jazz students to pack up.

"Honestly, I believe that was a best rehearsal yet." She said, gliding over to where her fellow teacher stood, "The composition sounded splendid." He nodded absentmindedly as the pair wished goodbyes and for students to enjoy their days as they filtered out for their next classes.

She tried to engage him in conversation – maybe even gauge what had happened earlier for their friendship was never (begrudgingly) flirtatious – yet all she received from him were curt nods and hums of acknowledgement. Hell, he hadn't even stayed near the door with her. He walked over to the back of the stage area to do who knows what. Fine then, she was off to the cafeteria if he'd be like this, she was on lunch monitor duty any. As she opened her mouth to say goodbye, she took notice of him standing in the middle of the stage, his electric guitar strung over his shoulder.

"Japas and I have been working on a few new things during our period off. I – uh we came up with a tune and the world's worst working lyrics. But you, my dear frontwoman, will not have the displeasure of hearing me sing." She gave him a soft smile, gesturing for him to continue. He plucked out a slow, melancholy tune. His fingers picking at the strings as he fluttered through an array of chords. While the song had a somber tone, there was something almost hopeful laying underneath. Something telling her she will prevail.

The piece slowly came to an end, the final note quietly vibrating out.

"Mikau that was-" amazing, beautiful, heartfelt "- perfect. I would love nothing more to be able to sing whatever the world's worst working lyrics are to that piece." He nodded, his fingers nervously drumming against the neck of the guitar, miming several chords.

"So, seeing as I'm more than likely winning the contest. And don't try to deny it, you even told me to take my sweater off." He said, the devilishly lazy smirk returned to his handsome visage once more, "And seeing as I know that's your favorite restaurant. Care to come with me? It's not like I need the whole gift card if I'm going alone and I'll provide you with our crappy lyrics that you can change to whatever you please." His eyes widened in almost fear, "Presumptuous sorry! It t doesn't have to be a date, just to friends on a friend date, not a romantic date, discussing friend things and their band and whatnot." Maybe losing the Ugly Sweater contest wasn't so bad.

"I'd love to go on a not just a friend date with you. You did steal my gift card after all."


	23. Winter Weight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruto just wants her jalapeno poppers not to spend part of her evening worrying about her apparent weight gain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> for the anonymous who asked I do one on "winter weight". I hope this is okay, I've never had someone request something before - thank you by the way!

All afternoon, family members from out of town had been arriving – which wouldn't have been so bad had she not had to change from her attire of a tv show tee and her underwear bottoms. All she wanted to do was catch up on her Netflix shows and eat whatever it was her mother had ordered for dinner all from the comfort of underneath her old bedspread. Yet according to her mother, she had to mill about greeting their guests in something presentable.

Were they still considered guests if she herself was technically a guest? She no longer lived at home.

Pulling at the sleeves of her over-sized gray knit sweater, Ruto trudged down the stairs into the foyer. Her grandparents on her father's side keeping to the outer rim of the area. Brave face, time to be a gracious "host".

Flitting about the foyer and into the den, Ruto stopped long enough to welcome their "guests" while simultaneously short enough of a conversation to be deemed gracious. Mother had taught her that. Family members expressed the joy at seeing her and wished her well this last week of the year and the for the new year. Sentiments she wished back.

Gliding into the kitchen, where her mother was working on their dinner, she grabbed a flute of something – honestly, she didn't care what it was. "Did you receive everyone?"

"Yes." She muttered, raising the glass to her lips,

"Politely receive everyone?" her mother's voice taut.

"Yes." Moscato, nice.

Her mother turned from her position at the stove as her father walked through the kitchen far entrance. Handing him a ladle, her eyes never strayed from Ruto's. "Why are you still in here when the guests are outside?" Stealing a few jalapeno poppers from one of the baking sheets – there was no way they needed that many jalapeno poppers – she reluctantly retreated back into the den where all of the guests had congregated. Milling about, she fell into conversation with one of her aunts and her son. Midway through, her aunt informed her that she looked like she was "eating well." The jalapeno poppers had been long gone at this point. Swallowing a lump in her throat, Ruto glanced about for a reason to excuse herself from the conversation. Looking like she ate well was just a sugarcoated way of saying she's put on a noticeable amount of weight. Gaining a few pounds since bikini season wasn't a ludicrous thing. Weight could fluctuate from time to time - especially during the winter!

"If you'll excuse me, I'm going to see if my parents need any help." Determinedly, she sped towards the kitchen, giving guests small smiles as she passed.

"Out." Her mother called without looking up from whatever she was cooking. Her father let out a chuckle, gazing up briefly to send her an entertained smile. Maybe it was the look on her face but her father instantly put her to work. Stationed beside the garbage can, she slowly began peeling a pile of potatoes. She hadn't gained that much weight had she that it was visible? Especially in this sweater. Even the warm, cloud-like softness of the sweater couldn't pull her thoughts from what her aunt had said.

"Bring this out to the den." Her mother directed, placing a large platter of cheeses and crackers on the kitchen's island. Weaving through the crowd of family members, Ruto slowly walked towards the large table in the den. Placing the platter directly in the center, she reached for one of the flutes lined up on the table. How drunk can she get before dinner started and she'd have to sleep not in her old bedroom but on the futon in the basement? Her grandparents got her room.

Oh well.

Taking a sip from her glass she circled about idly chatting with other family members. The room seemed to be colder than usual. Excusing herself from a conversation with one of her cousins, Ruto weaved her way to the electric fireplace - a.k.a. the greatest gift to mankind. Turning the heat as high as it would go, she stood in front of it basking in the warmth it emitted. As stealthily as she could, Ruto shifted her sweater to the side to gauge her stomach. It didn't look all that large, nor did it feel like she was protruding. She still fit in the same pants as she did in the beginning of fall, even if the bottom half of her wardrobe consisted of leggings and jeggings at the moment. She was fine. She was overthinking. She should take the veiled compliment in stride. She looked healthy, as opposed to when she was being asked incessantly in college if she was eating regularly. Every trip home without fail someone remarked she looked like she was losing weight and asked if she needed anything to eat.

Now she looked healthy. A little weight in the winter wasn't a big deal. It was healthy and normal and healthy...

She found herself standing on a scale in the bathroom ten minutes later - and a plate of leafy greens later. She had gained fifteen pounds since she had weighed herself at the start of bikini season. Fifteen pounds in six months was normal right? Two and a half pounds a month. Not like she gained all that weight during the holidays, right? Regardless of the fact everyone she knew seemed to be having some kind of holiday party where the food was continuously being brought out and the drinks flowed regularly. No it was fine. Healthy...

Waking out of the bathroom, she took heed of the jalapeno poppers that officially made it out to the appetizer table. Screw it. She could make her resolution to lose the fifteen pounds - or embrace her newfound weight and let it do what it will but damn it she was eating jalapeno poppers until the cows came home. And no belied words were going to dampen her mood. Who cared if she had gained a little weight. She sure as hell shouldn't and it was nobody else's damn business.

(Her plate may have been stacked with too many jalapeno poppers to count but it was nobody's damned business.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was picturing Bridget Jones while writing this... and channeling my thoughts when my coach basically told me to lose weight before our season started.  
> I also sang while loading my plate with shrimp and baked clams the other day so...


	24. Christmas Eve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ER's on Christmas Eve are never fun... that is unless you get a date out of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part 2... this takes place four years ago

Dashing about the living room, Aryll sung along with the radio. "And I don't care about the presents, underneath the Christmas tree." Organizing anything out of place and hanging up coats and bags in the front closet. Tomorrow would be their "Christmas Bash" as her brother's friends called it. The whole house would be decorated, crowded with people singing and dancing, enjoying the merriment of everyone's company. And this would be the first year when Grandma let her stay up passed Grandma heading to bed. She still was way too young to partake in the later half of the excitement but she'd get to watch it and possibly even record everything so bonus.

The front door was thrown open, Sheik popping through first followed shortly by Mikau and Kafei. "Hello Little Blonde." Sheik cheered, dropping his coat onto the rack.

"Hello idiots."

"That wasn't all that kind." Mikau joked, copying Sheik's movements. "He in his room?"

"No." She said standing atop a chair, adjusting the wreath on the wall that turned. "He's in the kitchen prepping dinner." Dumb, dumber, and dumbest heading into the kitchen. Right as she fixed the wreath she heard a loud, drawn out curse from her brother, followed by his friends yelling. What in the world?

Racing into the kitchen she noticed Sheik hovering over her brother who sat on a stool, a dish towel wrapped around his hand. Mikau was rummaging through the cabinet under the sink while Kafei talked curtly to someone over the phone. What happened? A knife laid on the floor, surrounded by a small pool of red liquid - was that blood?!

"We walked here and I technically don't have a license for legal reasons." Sheik said loudly, his voice carrying over Kafei's.

"Well I never learned. Kinda hard when you can barely see over the wheel as it is." Three heads (four of you count hers) whipped towards Mikau.

"I'm gonna throw up." He muttered, tossing a bottle of soap in their direction before dry heaving into the sink.

"Okay so I'll take him I guess. Little Blonde you're coming with us. You job's to hold the dish towel in place. Kafei, deal with him." Sheik directed, ushering her and Link towards the backseat of Link's car. Putting pressure on whatever was under the dish towel, Aryll noticed the red seeping through the towel. Um, that didn't look- "Elevate it. Above your head." Her brother gave him an incredulous look and Sheik sighed. "Dude, raising your hand above the heart will slow the bleeding down; maybe not substantially but enough that you won't bleed out."

"Why do you know that?" Her brother asked, asking his dish towel wrapped hand up as high as he could while they both maintained pressure.

"My sister's a doctor. Well in training but still. She knew basic first aid in like first grade." His sister was a doctor in training? Guess that comes in handy when you make a living as a stunt double. "She may kill me if she sees me in the ER."

.

.

Ten minutes later, Link found himself sitting in one of the (stiff) chairs of the Emergency Room's waiting area. His sister sat beside him filling out a majority of the paperwork needed on her own, asking here and there for a few answers. A six car pile up occurred on the interstate not too long before Link's hand became a slice of roast beef. Meaning he was subjected to wait in the lobby with his dish towel and the roll of paper towels the woman at the counter had graciously brought over. Great way to spend Christmas Eve. His sister stuck with him while Sheik, who legally did not have a license at this point because the dumbass left his wallet on the subway, went to pick up Grandma from her PT session. She still didn't know he was in the hospital.

Stupid Mikau, jumping on someone's back as they're cutting up the roast beef.

"Link." Aryll muttered beside him, trying to shove him from his chair, "They're calling your name. Let's go." The followed the nurse down the hall to an awaiting hospital room. The nurse began to remove the dish towel from around his wrist when the door opened, two women walking in.

"Hello, I apologize, it's more packed on Christmas Eve. than usual. Never a good sign." Holy shit. Clear blue eyes scanned over what he assumed to be his patient file. Her long beautiful blonde hair done up in a messy (yet elegant, at least on her) bun. A pair of glasses hung from the front pocket of her lab coat. How did someone make blue scrubs (which made her eyes pop) look good? That wasn't possible. Flashes of her in a flowing white dress racing over with a first-aid kit to tend to his sparkler burns at Mikau's Constitution Day party raced through his head. Her hair swinging to and fro because of the wind as she cut off a section of his shirt sleeve. The same girl he had been staring at a majority of that night now stood before him once more. She wasn't actually a doctor, was she?

Shit and she was tending to him twice now in the span of two months. She must think he's an idiot.

"As you may know this is a teaching hos-" Her eyes gazed up and locked onto his. Letting out a bell like laugh, she shook her head. "I'm starting to think I only get to see you if you're injured."

Aryll's head shot in the doctor's direction, "Wait you know each other?"

"Sadly, she was stuck helping me when Sheik lit my shoulder on fire." he reluctantly muttered. Both times he meets her is because one of his idiot friends does something stupid and he ends up getting hurt. A few months back while ringing in another year of the Constitution, which two hundred years ago limited the monarchy - which no longer exists - Sheik waved around a sparkler. He tripped over a root and the sparkler in his hand ended up burning Link's shoulder. Fun.

The woman before them gave him a soft smile, before resuming whatever she had begun saying prior to her own interjection. "Anyway, this is a teaching hospital. I'm not officially a doctor yet, currently doing my residency. This is Dr. Impa, she will be overseeing what goes on. Now let me take a look at your hand."

His sister slid over as far as she could, taking his other hands in hers. A look of worry on her features. "Aryll's it's fine. Not like I cut anything off." He said softly, squeezing her hand reassuringly. The poor girl was only thirteen, not all a nice sight to be seeing on Christmas Eve. And his decision to calm his sister down offered Link a distraction from the woman who now sat on a stool directly in front of him. If he moved in either direction, his knees would probably brush up against hers. His bloody hand raised as she observed the damage done by the knife.

"Maybe nothing had been detached but, you will need two rows of stitches." Two rows of stitches? "It's a rather deep laceration; we will place a layer of stitches in the epidermis, the second set will be a bit deeper in the dermis layer of skin. The dermis is the layer below the epidermis. the second set is designed to disintegrate after a certain amount of time." Her eyes drifted up to meet Dr. Impa's, who simply nodded. She sent him a smile (his heartbeat didn't falter, he swears it). Her right hand hovered over his bloodied one. "Typically we would administer an anesthetics to numb the area, lidocaine to be specific. But we understand a lot of people do not feel comfortable with anesthetics-"

"Have at it." Link cut her off, holding his arm out . Her bell like laugh returned and Dr. Impa vacated the room. Aryll glanced between him, their doctor, and his arm. A nervous look on her face.

"You needn't worry. Impa's gone to fetch some supplies, I just have to clean out the wound. Make sure no contaminants fell in." Turning around, she grabbed two gloves from the bin snapping them into place. "So what did Sheik do this time?" She asked. Sheik? He didn't do anything. Zelda gently had him stand from his seat and walked him over to the sink. Warm water mix with antiseptics running over his wound.

"You know Sheik?" Aryll asked quietly.

"One yes, came out the womb with him. Hopefully I know him and two-"

"You're Zelda!" Aryll yelled, her face flushing red when she realized how loud she was. "You're Zelda?" she repeated, much quieter this time.

Zelda(?) gave her a pointed look, "Oh goddess, what did he tell you that I'm getting this reaction? Spoiler alert, he tends to do dumb things and put my name in place of his to make himself seem like the golden child." Aryll chuckled at that, causing Zelda to send her a soft smile. Zelda was tending to his arm?! As in the same woman Sheik kept trying to get him to meet because he felt they'd get along swimmingly and according to Sheik, she needed more friends here. Her twin and Malon apparently were not a sufficient enough. The same woman he heard about constantly from one of his best friends just happened to be the same woman he stared at all night a few months back. Well half the night – she showed up well into the party.

Guess Sheik was too drunk to realize she had even arrived.

When the taller woman returned, Zelda removed a bottle from the cart and a rather large needle. Sticking the needle through the top, Zelda began speaking in a soothing voice about how the needle would numb the laceration and the areas around it. Link wasn't paying attention much – but could he really be expected to when the prettiest woman at the party was nursing him (doctoring him?) one more?

Aryll chatted with Zelda, her words rushed together in an attempt to calm her own nerves. The needle inserting into him stung a bit and he may have squeezed Aryll's hand a bit too tight. Crap, now she's going to be even more worried. Zelda's calming voice then shifted, trying to calm Aryll instead. "It's just a simple numbing agent. Lidocaine is a local anesthetics and lasts an hour before it is flushed out of the system. I'm using it to numb the area for the stitches and then we're good. He's not going out or anything. Link will be 100% conscious during all this." Aryll let out a shaky sigh of relief. Her hand squeezing his. He silently thanked his doctor.

"So" Zelda started, lacing another needle with a stand of black thread. "what did my brother do this time? You never answered."

Link sheepishly gave her a smile, "You can relax, he had nothing to do with this. This," he gestured his good hand towards the not-so-good hand, "was all Mikau. Jumped on my back while I was cutting the roast beast."

Zelda, who had positioned herself once more in front of him gave him a side longed glance, "Okay Dr. Seuss." He said roast beast didn't he? Crap, Aryll always called it that, The Grinch being one of her favorite childhood books. He read it year round when she was in kindergarten. Impa cleared her throat. Zelda, who had his hand in hers and the needle at the ready rolled her beautiful blue eyes, "I'm going to add the lower layer now. Like I said, this layer will disintegrate on its own. It's the second layer of stitches that will require a second visit." She then got to work idly holding a conversation with them – mainly for Aryll's benefit. Not too long later, a sky blue thread was sewn into his hand.

"See, wasn't so bad, now was it?" Zelda joked, her attention on Aryll who nodded absentmindedly. "Now you," she started, gaining Link's attention – which to be honest had been on her since she walked through the door – "for the first 24 hours you are not to have the area get wet. After a day you are to clean it with warm water and soap but please do not submerge the hand in water and then pat it dry. One your way out one of the nurse's at the nurses station will provide you with a fill copy of the proper techniques to maintain your stitches. I'm going to apply a bandage around the area and this is to stay on for 24 hours as well. Once you take the bandage off, I recommend you can clean it. Keep the area clean and dry and in ten days come back and I'll check on the status of the stitches." She turned away from them and began cleaning up her work station. "It should be good by then and please do not try to take them out yourself."

Impa excused herself, saying hw she had to check on a different resident with a poor track record with bedside manner. The moment the door shut, Zelda turned around to face them, "Sheik tore his stitches out once and I all but beat him over the head with my medical textbooks. His sister was in a Pre-Med program and he broke one of the cardinal rules for a patient. Never try to do a doctor's job."

"I like her." Aryll whispered into his ear. A sly smile then grew, a sly smile that meant nothing good was to come from this. "He's single by the way. Horribly, tragically single."

"Aryll!"

"It's a shame really." His sister was the horrible tragic thing they should have returned for a better model back when she was a baby.

"What a horrible, tragic shame." Zelda agreed with a small smirk of her own. "We both seem to be in the same predicament." How? She was a goddess in a lab coat and scrubs.

Aryll jumped down from her seat and tugged him by his good hand closer to them, "What time do you get off? Cause he'll gladly take you out for food." Was his preteen sister asking out Zelda for him?

"Sheik won't be too pleased his attempts at setting us up were foiled by a fourteen year old."

"Thirteen." Aryll corrected, but he didn't miss the proud smile at Zelda thinking she was older than she was.

"My mistake: Sheik won't be too pleased his attempts at setting us up were foiled by a thirteen year old." Sheik tried to set them up? Zelda let out a laugh, even more wonderful than the bell-like tone he had first heard earlier. "You honestly thought he just wanted us to meet for shits and gigs? He thinks, as your sister so eloquently put it tht we are 'horribly, tragically single'. He invited me to some Christmas shindig tomorrow – weird seeing as neither of us celebrate it – and hoped this time we would actually be able to meet. He's tried several times but I either get called in to the ER or something comes up on your end." Holy shit, Sheik just got bumped to best friend – bye Mikau, who cared if they knew each other longer.

"What time o you get off, if you're not too busy and okay with the idea of getting food… with me." Finding his voice, Link rubbed the back of his neck shyly.

She gave him an apologetic look – welp time to be let down easy – "2 am. I understand if that's too late-"

"That's perfect." Both Link and Aryll quickly answered. "I can come back later. We can got coffee or something." He added

"Coffee or something sounds wonderful."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When your sister is your wingman


	25. Christmas Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They did the bash, they did the Christmas Bash.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried for like a half hour to upload this onto Fanfiction... it was pissing me off...  
> Part 3 of my crappy little trilogy.

Standing from the dining room table, Aryll announced it was time to open presents. Link gave her a look, her smiled faltering just slightly. So what if she was excited for the opening of gifts, she had a reason to be excited! Zelda and Grandma stood up from the table to bring the breakfast dishes into the kitchen and it took everything in Aryll not to tell them to hurry up. Link wouldn't be too happy with her if she did. Oh well. Sheik dropped down onto the floor in front of the couch, Daphnes, the head of the Nohansen family (a.k.a. Zelda and Sheik's father) sitting behind him on the couch. Hurry, hurry, hurry Aryll thought, hurry! Link sat in front of the Christmas tree in his usual position as the unofficial official Passer of the Gifts. A title Grandma had given to him when they were little and she was too tired to reach under the tree.

This would be Daphnes' first time celebrating this more intimate moment of the holiday and Aryll was sure it would be quite memorable, if she did say so herself. He came later for the Christmas Bash the past two years but this was the first time he had come to breakfast at their home and to witness the giving of the gifts. He had come in with a mountain of presents that Zelda immediately told him he shouldn't have gotten. Apparently, the patriarch went a little shopping crazy. (Which she was completely okay with. She saw a bunch with her name on it.)

Finally Zelda and Grandma came into the room; Zelda delicately sitting on the armchair beside Aryll but closest to Link and Grandma reclining in her rocker. "Ready. Okay so first round." After a barrage of gifts were passed out – hell yeah man, Zelda got her a game console! – they were inching down to the last few gifts and Link's face slowly drained of color. "Okay last round – Daphnes how you ding over there?" Link jokingly asked, the man covered in wrapping paper his two children threw at him. He gave a soured looked but smiled when Zelda sent him one.

"This isn't too bad." Link let out a low sigh, reaching for the last of the gifts but holding out on Zelda's.

"Okay this is the last and final gift." He announced, his hands sweating as he passed over the present. "It's possibly a two parter."

Zelda raised a quizzical brow, "Possibly?"

"Depends on how the first is received."

Zelda shook her head, "I swear Link, if this is another one of those joke presents I'll-" but her voice caught in her throat. Five pairs of eyes watching in anticipation mixed with other feelings – three confused, one eager, and one a ball of pure nerves. A pure white lab coat was lifted from the box, a pure white lab coat with a name sewn above the breast pocket in black lettering. "Link… that's not my last name."

"Could be?"

Her eyes flashed towards his, an array of emotions flitting through – but none were any negative emotions. "I swear to every goddess in Hyrule that better not be how you're asking me."

"Well you said you didn't want to get married until you officially became a doctor and as of two Thursdays from now you will officially be named Doctor Nohansen but you could also go by a different last name if you would like and-"

"Link." Zelda warned, her eyes narrowing in a glare.

"Look okay I'm nervous. I think I went over this a million times with Aryll who already knew about this if you couldn't tell by the face splitting grin and it just never came out right. I wanna marry you, have for a while but I knew you didn't want to at the time when I bought the ring and I'm rambling in front of you brother and your dad and I just really wanna marry you."

Zelda leaned over, her blue eyes locking with his, "I hope you know I now have to tell our at least three kids that their dad sucks at proposing."

"So is that a yes?"

"Could be." She answered jokingly, before placing a soft kiss to his lips. "Now where is this ring, I want it." He let out a hearty laugh, pointing to one of the pockets of the coat.

"That was the possible second part."

Sheik all but tackled Link to the ground before the present had been retrieved. "I'm finally going to have a sibling I can tolerate and that's Aryll." Link's nerves still hadn't calmed. His hands shook just so as she reached out for the box to place the ring on his now fiancée's finger. He said it could be, that was his line. He said it could be. Fuck he sucked with words but for some reason she loved him back. Had for four years. It was a simple ring; two thin silver bands weaving together with three stones, a diamond in the middle sandwiched between two smaller tanzanite gems. Zelda's hand shot out to his, her fingers flexed downwards waiting for him to slid the ring on. Daphnes hadn't said anything nor did his Grandma but to be honest Link was terrified to know what they thought. For the longest time, he thought Daphnes hated him: turns out he has a case of Resting Bitch Face. Drunk Daphnes explained he was Zelda's favorite boyfriend by far. But did he like Link enough to be related to him.

Zelda reached out to hold his hand in her newly decorated one, 'I love you.' She mouthed.

'I love you too' he mouthed back.

A squeal from the opposite side of the couch, brought everyone's attention to Aryll who was blatantly recording the whole thing – "I've been waiting six months since he asked me to help him pick that out for this exact moment. I could die right now, that's how happy I am.

The weight from the couch shifted as Daphnes stood up. His lumbering legs brought him over to where the newly engaged couple sat. A large hand clapped Link on the back while his eyes looked with his daughter's, "I never thought anyone would ever be worthy of you my dear, never." His dark eyes then shifted to lock with Link's "I've never been more wrong."

"This calls for sabraging the champagne bottle Zelda got me!" Sheik raced into the kitchen to find something to act in lieu of a saber.

The first words out of their Grandma's mouth since the proposal was, "Grab something to act as a tarp! Aryll mopped last night."

.

.

"So, your brother is officially off the market?" Mila grumbled, sipping from a flute of apple cider. Maggie's eyes gave away her anticipation for the answer.

"I am officially going to have a big sister. And one day going to be the aunt to at least three beautiful blond babies." Her two friends made annoyed faces at her answer, both making comments of the travesty that was Link's new status of being off the market for good. Rolling her eyes, Aryll glanced about the party. Guests had arrived and the party was in full swing. Sheik and Mikau leading the drinking games while many a person gathered near Zelda to gaze at the ring. Her best friend Malon had to physically drag her from one of the guests who may not have been all too keen on the engagement. Mila's phone made a noise and Aryll's two friends quickly dispersed. Well that wasn't suspicious in the slightest.

Malon, in a beautiful green A-Line cocktail dress, approached her, Zelda's arm link through hers. Oh, was Malon wearing chiffon, Aryll loved chiffon. "I must say, green really makes your eyes pop."

Zelda smiled, placing her hand over Malon's "I think I tell her that twenty times whenever she wears green."

Malon rolled her eyes at the pair, "Well I'm delivering your sister-in-law to you. I'm going to find Sheik and gauge how drunk he is at the moment. If he's too far gone he can find someone else to kiss under the mistletoe."

"My brother is gross!" Zelda called out over her shoulder to Malon as she pushed through the crowd, "You can do better!" A middle finger was her response. Aryll took the time to appreciate the fact this beautiful, wonderful woman would become part of their family whenever – hopefully soon. A brilliant soon-to-be doctor with a heart of gold who honestly was the perfect match for her brother. "I love your dress." Zelda complimented, gesturing to the attire with her glass. Her simple red skater dress was nothing in comparison to Zelda's deep purple off the shoulder party dress – the bodice clung to her wonderfully (Aryll could never find anything that made her look remotely nice) before bellowing out about her knees.

"Where'd you posse go?" Shrugging, Aryll sipped from her apple cider. They had disappeared, Mila high ponytail nowhere to be spotted. "Heard they invited the guy we cyber stalk."

Her head whipped around (hello whiplash) "You heard about that?" Aryll squeaked. How had she heard about that? Aryll hadn't told a soul.

"Well no, but I recognize his face. He cleans up nice." What? "I think he's looking for you. Turn, let me see." Zelda eyes ran over her face, checking to make sure her makeup hadn't run. "Nope perfect."

"Hey, sorry Medil couldn't figure out what to wear." Komali said, approaching from behind her. Turning gracefully on her heel, Aryll gave him a soft smile. In one hand was a wrapped box, the other a to go cup. Was that a present? He held out the wrapped box for her muttering something she couldn't make out.

"I told Medil you guys didn't have to get anything, just bring yourselves and empty stomachs." He shrugged shyly.

"Oh and peppermint hot chocolate." He mumbled, holding out the cup for her. Mila words of it all starting with peppermint hot choholate echoing in her head.

Zelda stuck out her left hand in greeting, "Hello, I'm Zelda."

"Komali." He said quietly, shaking her head. Both glancing towards Aryll.

"Oh right! Komalli this is the best person in the world – don't tell Mila or Mags – and as of this morning is engaged to my brother. Zelda, Komali works at Dragon Roost and we share a Calc class." Zelda sent her s subtle wink before excusing herself to find her brother or Link – find one, you typically find the other. No wait stay, she's an idiot when alone with him!

.

.

"Hello love." Zelda smirked, kissing Link. Her arms snaking around his neck. He smiled into the kiss pulling her closer.

"Ew. I regret ever wanting you two to date, it's kinda gross."

"You're gross." Zelda removed her lips from her fiancée's (new favorite word!) to throw the insult at her brother.

"Malon thinks it's gross." He tried to argue but failed for Malon told him she didn't. She found their relationship rather endearing. "No help these days, right Mikau?!" The other yelled that he was agreeing with Malon before having Kafei assist him up into a keg stand. "You're too old for that shit."

"Don't let Grandma hear you, she holds the record." Link said, spinning Zelda around, his chin resting on her shoulder.

"You mean destroyed Sheik's previous record." When Link didn't comment, Zelda glance up at him in curiosity. His eyes trained on something in the distance. Following his line of set, Zelda smiled. Aryll was trying and failing to not blush at whatever Komali said while Komali was trying and failing at not blushing at whatever Aryll said. "He seems nice. Captain of the math team, secretary on the student council – was president the past three years but with his schedule this year had to take a step back. He's"

"Why do you know this?"

"We've cyber stalked him." She could feel Link's low chuckle as he pulled her in closer. "She really likes him."

"Does he work at a coffee shop? Because I think I drove her there a million times and she needed to give herself a pep talk every time she went in." Aryll was too precious. And staunchly different then Link in high school – who had his first kiss well before his senior year of high school. It was the floppy hair, at least that's what Mikau always said. The floppy hair and the fierce blue eyes had made him a hot commodity back in high school. They watched as Komali bravely took a step forward and kissed the younger blonde's cheek. The girl gave a small smile before leaning forward and kissing him on the lips.

An array of whoops and cheers came from their corner – Link, Zelda, Sheik, Malon, Mikau, Kafei to name a few. Aryll's face turned beat red as she tried to tell them to knock it off. "Keep it G, there are children here!" Sheik jokingly called out.

"I'm watching you kid!" Link yelled sternly. The boy visibly blanching.

"He's being an ass ignore him. Hell ignore both of them."

"Way to undermine me." Link whispered in her ear. Oh well she'd make it up to him later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I FINALLY GOT THE SWITCH AND BREATH OF THE WILD NOW I CAN BE A COOL KID AND PLAY IT!


End file.
